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Nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and dietary behaviours of Irish adolescent athletes
Open accessAbstract
Context: Adolescents are amongst the most nutritional vulnerable groups in our population due to the anatomical and physiological developments that occur at this stage of life. The additional energy and hydration demands on adolescent athletes mean they may be more exposed to nutritional problems such as low energy intake and nutrient deficiencies.Purpose: To examine the nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and dietary behaviours of Irish adolescent athletes, and explore these variables by sex, sport played, and level of sport played. Method: 416 (224 female and 192 male) adolescent athletes (15.96 ± 0.76 years) from 21 secondary schools across Ireland, completed an online questionnaire, which assessed general and sports nutrition knowledge, attitudes to nutrition, and dietary behaviours. Data were analysed using Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests for each variable and grouped by sex, sport played, and level of sport played. Significance level p ≤0.05.Results: The mean nutrition knowledge score was 55.16% ± 13.51, with athletes scoring significantly (p<0.05) higher in general nutrition knowledge (60.37%) than in sports nutrition knowledge (49.8%). Mean nutrition knowledge scores were significantly higher (p=0.014) amongst those playing at international level (60.61%) compared to club level athletes (53.17%). The most significant gap in knowledge related to nutrient requirements around training and competition. Differences in attitudes and dietary practices by sex were found to be significantly higher in male than female athletes believing nutritional supplements were necessary to support training (p=0.006). Conclusions: The results highlight that Irish adolescent athletes recognise that athletic performance is enhanced with optimal nutrition but are lacking fundamental sports nutrition knowledge related to nutrient requirements. Consequently, athletes may not adopt nutrition strategies that optimise their performance or recovery but also their health. These findings will inform future education programmes to improve and reinforce nutrition knowledge in the adolescent athlete cohort.
Overview
CoChat Summary
TL;DR
Irish adolescent athletes had limited nutrition knowledge, especially sports nutrition knowledge, despite generally positive attitudes toward nutrition. Knowledge was higher among international-level athletes than club-level athletes, with no sex or sport differences, while supplement use was common and some sex differences in attitudes and behaviours were found.
Key findings
- Mean nutrition knowledge was 55.16% ± 13.51%, with general nutrition knowledge (60.37%) significantly higher than sports nutrition knowledge (49.8%) (p<0.05). Knowledge was lowest for nutrients required before, during, and after training/competition (37%, 34.6%, and 33.3% correct, respectively), while hydration questions had the most correct answers (76%).
- No significant difference in nutrition knowledge was found by sex (p=0.571) or sport. Athletes playing at national/international level scored 60.61% versus 53.33% at club level, with a significant overall level-of-play difference (p=0.002) and Bonferroni-adjusted confirmation (p=0.014).
- 96.9% of females and 91.9% of males reported optimal nutrition as important or very important for athletic performance, yet 89.6% reported consuming nutritional supplements. Significantly more males than females thought supplements were necessary to support training (p=0.006); vitamins/minerals were most commonly reported (n=207), followed by protein (n=93), caffeine tablets/gum (n=27), and creatine (n=22). Only 31.25% were aware that not all supplements are tested for illegal or harmful substances.
- 76.2% reported eating breakfast daily, with males significantly more likely to do so (p<0.001), but only 20% reported reaching recommended fruit and vegetable intake. Nutrition knowledge had weak positive correlations with fruit/vegetable intake (r=0.157, p=0.001) and weak negative correlations with fried food (r=-0.116, p<0.018) and takeaway food (r=-0.156, p=0.001).
Methods
- Observational study of 416 adolescents (224 female, 192 male; mean age 15.96 ± 0.76 years) from 21 secondary schools across Ireland; inclusion required playing competitive sport and training/competing three or more sessions weekly.
- Participants completed an anonymous online questionnaire with 50 questions in four sections covering demographics/attitudes, dietary behaviours, general nutrition knowledge, and sports nutrition knowledge; questions were adapted from a validated adult athlete questionnaire and a previous adolescent athlete dietary behaviour questionnaire.
- Analysis used IBM SPSS version 27; Shapiro-Wilk showed non-normal data, so Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests compared variables by sex, sport, and level of play, with Spearman correlations and significance set at p≤0.05.
Limitations
- Stated: the majority of athletes participated in ball games and many played more than one sport, so distribution across sport categories was not uniform; the authors call for future research with a greater spread across sport types. They also note weak correlations should be interpreted with caution and call for validation of an adolescent-specific nutrition knowledge questionnaire.
- Evident from the text: the cross-sectional observational design cannot establish causality between nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and dietary behaviours.
- Evident from the text: only 416 of 1088 completed questionnaires (38%) met inclusion criteria, and data came from self-reported questionnaires, so selection, recall, and social desirability biases are possible.
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Claims the paper makes
0 Valid · 0 Not valid · 24 Not checked · 73 Own results and interpretations
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Females were found to be statistically (p < 0.05) more likely than male participants to consume vitamins and minerals.”
§ Nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and dietary behaviours of Irish adolescent athletes > Sources of nutrition information
plainstates an association- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“No significant difference (p>0.05) was found in nutrition knowledge scores across different sports.”
§ Nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and dietary behaviours of Irish adolescent athletes > Conclusion
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Sports drinks were consumed by 23.3% of participants during training or competition.”
§ Nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and dietary behaviours of Irish adolescent athletes > Dietary Behaviours that support health and performance
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Male athletes showed a significantly greater awareness than females that their nutritional requirements differed to the non-athlete adolescent population (p = 0.047).”
§ Nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and dietary behaviours of Irish adolescent athletes > Sources of nutrition information
plainstates an association- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Furthermore, a very weak positive correlations was found between athletes who reported increasing muscular mass as essential to improving athletic performance and consumption of protein (r = 0.154; p = 0.002) and creatine supplements (r = 0.123; p = 0.012).”
§ Nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and dietary behaviours of Irish adolescent athletes > Sources of nutrition information
plainstates an association- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
61 more claims
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- It may state two separate claims as one. 21
- The quote only partly states this claim. 1
- Probably not a substantial claim. 11
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.
Rated minor: it would not touch a result — a value no result rests on, a p-value that stays on the same side of the significance level, or a conflict that is clerical, resolved elsewhere in the paper, or outside its own findings.
In the paper
“Dietary Advice sought 224 (53.8) 111 (47.6) 113 (58.9)”
§ Nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and dietary behaviours of Irish adolescent athletes > Sources of nutrition information
Reported 47.6 · recomputed 49.553571
Rated minor: it would not touch a result — a value no result rests on, a p-value that stays on the same side of the significance level, or a conflict that is clerical, resolved elsewhere in the paper, or outside its own findings.
In the paper
“Social media 66 (5.9)”
§ Nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and dietary behaviours of Irish adolescent athletes > Sources of nutrition information
Reported 5.9 · recomputed 15.865385
Rated minor: it would not touch a result — a value no result rests on, a p-value that stays on the same side of the significance level, or a conflict that is clerical, resolved elsewhere in the paper, or outside its own findings.
In the paper
§ Nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and dietary behaviours of Irish adolescent athletes > Abstract
“club level athletes (53.17%)”
§ Nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and dietary behaviours of Irish adolescent athletes > Nutrition Knowledge
“The mean nutrition knowledge score for club players was 53.33% ± 13.7%”
Rated minor: it would not touch a result — a value no result rests on, a p-value that stays on the same side of the significance level, or a conflict that is clerical, resolved elsewhere in the paper, or outside its own findings.
In the paper
“Mixed sports 73 (99.8)”
§ Nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and dietary behaviours of Irish adolescent athletes > Questionnaire
Reported 99.8 · recomputed 17.590361
Citations
Cites
The publisher hasn’t deposited this paper’s reference list.
Research works printed but not linked: 5
- Burke, L., & Deakin, V. (2010). Clinical Sports Nutrition (4th ed.). North Ryde, New South Wales: McGraw Hill.
- Kumar, M. M., Argo, T., Chang, J., Cifra, N., Docter, A. D., Galagali, P. M., . . . Weiss, A. L. (2020). Preventing nutritional disorders in adolescents by encouraging a healthy relationship with food. Journal of Adolescent Health, 67(6), 875-879.
- Meyer, F., O'Connor, H., & Shirreffs, S. M. (2017). Nutrition for the young athlete. Journal of Sports Sciences, 25(S1), S73-S82.
- Rossi, F. E., Landreth, A., Beam, S., Jones, T., Norton, L., & Cholewa, J. M. (2017). The effects of a sports nutrition education intervention on nutritional status, sport nutrition knowledge, body composition, and performance during off season training in NCAA Division I baseball players. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 16(1), 60-68.
- Woods, C., Powell, C., Saunders, J. A., O'Brien, W., Murphy, M. H., Duff, C., . . . Belton, S. (2019). The children's sport participation and physical activity study 2018 (CSPPA 2018). Limerick, Dublin and Belfast: Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- JPES ® www.efsupit.ro 2068 Ireland, Sport Ireland, and Healthy Ireland, Dublin, Ireland and Sport Northern Ireland, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Cited by
The effect of physical activity on body composition: a study of athletic and non-athletic students
Butnariu, M. (2025) · Journal of Physical Education and Sport · doi:10.7752/jpes.2025.07167 · Cited by 4
Zhang, E. E., Deslippe, A. L., McKendry, J., & Cohen, T. R. (2026) · Frontiers in Nutrition · doi:10.3389/fnut.2026.1898385
Metadata
- Authors
- Tiernan, C., & Garrett, P.
- Affiliations
- University of Limerick (IE)
- Venue
- Journal of Physical Education and Sport
- Publisher
- RO Sport & Art Association
- Published
- 2024-12-30
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 2060-2068
- ISSN
- 2247-8051 (ISSN-L)
- 2247-806X
- OpenAlex
- W4407081379
- Cited by
- 2
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1
- FWCI
- 0.46
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Physical Education and Sport (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Funders
- University of Limerick
- 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, sports nutrition knowledge, nutrition attitudes, dietary behaviour, sex differences, sport level, nutrient requirements, dietary supplements, energy intake, Irish adolescents
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- CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and dietary behaviours of Irish adolescent athletes. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.7752/jpes.2024.12304
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