A Descriptive Study of the Nutrition Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors of Youth Athletes and Coaches

An abstract of a study by Willet et al determining and comparing the nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of youth athletes and their coaches is presented. Youth athletes were 12.68 ± 1.67 years of age, and coaches' mean age was 30.63 ± 8.73. Athletes sought nutrition information from their coaches (23%) or athletic trainer (14%). Sixty-nine percent of the coaches reported having received nutrition education, yet confusion was present about basic concepts. The majority of the subjects felt having a nutritious diet would improve athletic performance and information on related topics would be beneficial. Half of the athletes and 1% of the coaches reported using the MyPyramid guidelines for planning their meals. On average, both groups consumed less than recommended amounts for every food group. Coaches consumed significantly less fruit than athletes (p < 0.05), significantly more nuts, tea, coffee, and alcohol (p < 0.05), and were significantly more likely to skip breakfast, lunch, and dinner (p < 0.05).