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Cited by 34Nutrition, Health and Food BehaviorNutrition and Health StudiesDietetics, Nutrition, and Education

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 75 of the 75 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 146 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Adolescent athletes have better general than sports nutrition knowledge and lack awareness of supplement recommendations: a systematic literature review

Open access
Hulland, Susan C., Trakman, Gina L., Alcock, Rebekah D.·2024·British Journal of Nutrition

Abstract

Nutrition knowledge (NK) impacts food choices and may be improved through educational programmes. Identifying knowledge gaps related to NK among adolescent athletes may guide future nutrition education programmes. This review aimed to systematically review the level of NK in adolescent athletes based on the currently available published literature. The protocol for this review was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022321765). A literature search was conducted in April 2022 using MEDLINE, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science and SCOPUS databases. The study design was not restricted, provided that a quantitative NK score was reported for adolescent athletes. Studies were limited to the English language and published between 2010 and April 2022. Studies were assessed for quality and risk of bias using the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Quality Appraisal Checklist. Data extracted included demographics, questionnaire name, number of items, validation status and mean total and subsection NK scores. Meta-analyses were inappropriate due to the heterogeneity of NK assessment tools; therefore, results were presented narratively. Thirty-two studies that assessed NK of 4553 adolescent athletes and 574 comparison participants were included. Critical appraisal of studies resulted in neutral rating ‘moderate quality’ for most (n 30) studies. Studies lacked justification for sample size and often used inadequately validated questionnaires. NK scores ranged from poor (33·3 %) to excellent (90·6 %). The level of NK across studies is difficult to determine due to heterogenous questionnaires often lacking appropriate validation. NK should be assessed using tools validated in the relevant population or revalidated tools previously used for other populations.

Overview

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TL;DR

This systematic review of 32 studies (4553 adolescent athletes and 574 comparison participants) found nutrition knowledge scores ranged from poor (33·3 %) to excellent (90·6 %), but heterogeneous and often inadequately validated questionnaires made the overall level difficult to determine. Adolescent athletes scored higher in general nutrition knowledge than sports nutrition knowledge when directly compared and showed poor supplement knowledge.

Key findings

  • Across 32 studies and 4553 adolescent athletes, total nutrition knowledge scores ranged from 33·3 % to 90·6 %; most studies (n 30) received a neutral “moderate quality” rating, and only two received a positive rating.
  • When general nutrition knowledge (GNK) and sports nutrition knowledge (SNK) were directly compared within studies (n 4), GNK was the highest-scoring section in all cases; supplement knowledge was poor wherever reported, with Bird and Rushton reporting supplements as the greatest source of uncertainty (45 % “don’t know” responses).
  • The review included 21 questionnaires across 32 studies; 16 studies used a questionnaire with 25 or fewer questions, 13 described using a “previously validated questionnaire,” and only two revalidated after modifying a questionnaire.
  • Nine studies included 574 non-adolescent comparison participants; adult athletes scored numerically higher than adolescent athletes in all but one study comparing these groups, and in the one age-matched non-athlete comparison, adolescent athletes scored higher in all sections.

Methods

  • Systematic literature review following PRISMA, registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022321765); searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science and SCOPUS in April 2022, limited to English-language studies published between 2010 and April 2022.
  • Included original studies providing a quantitative nutrition knowledge score for adolescent athletes aged 10–19 years (WHO definition) in any organised sport; 816 records were identified, 555 screened after duplicate removal, 104 full texts screened, and 32 studies included.
  • Data extraction covered demographics, questionnaire details, validation status, and mean total and subsection scores converted to percentages; quality/risk of bias was assessed with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Quality Appraisal Checklist, and results were synthesised narratively because meta-analysis was inappropriate.

Limitations

  • The paper states that meta-analysis was implausible because of heterogeneous nutrition knowledge questionnaires; possible publication bias arose from excluding studies published before 2010 (11 otherwise eligible studies), excluding non-English and grey literature, and being unable to source four studies for full-text screening.
  • The paper also states study-level limitations: small sample sizes, lack of justification for sample size or description of the target population, use of unvalidated or insufficiently validated tools, few comparison groups (especially age-matched), and no author responses to requests for missing or inconsistent data.
  • Evident from the text: only two studies received a positive quality rating; 19 studies had fewer than 100 participants; several studies modified previously validated questionnaires without revalidation; and geographic representation was limited (no African countries, Brazil the only South American country, Australia the only Oceanian country).

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Registry

Crossref · 10.1017/s0007114523002799

Cites

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Fig. 1. PRISMA flow diagram of the inclusion eligibility screening process.
Fig. 1. PRISMA flow diagram of the inclusion eligibility screening process.CC BY · PubMed Central

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Citations

Cites

Show all 75 references

Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. Leite, 2016, Conocimiento sobre alimentacion y nutricion despues del desarrollo de actividades de educacion alimentaria entre ninos y adolescentes deportistas [Knowledge about food and nutrition after the development of food education activities among children and adolescent athletes], Pensar Prát, 19, 56
  2. Jusoh, 2014, Relationship between hydration status, hydration knowledge and fluid intake behaviour among school athletes of selected Perak sport schools, J Sports Sci Phys Educ, 3, 11
  3. Supriya, 2013, Knowledge, attitude and dietary practices of track and field athletic men and women aged 18–22, Int J Innov Res Dev, 2, 399
  4. 12. Trakman, GL (2018) The development and validation of the nutrition for sport knowledge questionnaire (NSKQ) and abridged nutrition for sport knowledge questionnaire (A-NSKQ) to investigate the sports nutrition knowledge of Australian athletes. Doctoral Thesis, La Trobe University Research Online, La Trobe University.

Cited by

Metadata

Authors
Hulland, S. C., Trakman, G. L., & Alcock, R. D.
Affiliations
La Trobe University (AU)
Corresponding author
Hulland, Susan C.
Venue
British Journal of Nutrition
Published
2023-12-06
Volume
131
Issue
8
Pages
1362-1376
ISSN
  • 0007-1145 (ISSN-L)
  • 1475-2662
OpenAlex
W4389393403
Cited by
34
References
75
Citations by year
2026: 17 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 5
FWCI
1.05
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • British Journal Of Nutrition (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • La Trobe University (cc-by)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutrition and Health Studies
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Dietetics, Nutrition, and Education
Keywords
youth athletes, nutrition knowledge, sports nutrition, supplement recommendations, nutrition education, questionnaire validation, food choice
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Female, Humans, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Male, Sports, Dietary Supplements, Athletes, Sports Nutritional Sciences, Sports Nutritional Physiological Phenomena

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