Effect Of A Nutrition Program On Eating Habits In Female Collegiate Athletes

In the present study, an intervention took place using two female collegiate NCAA Division 1 (D1) teams. One team was randomized to be the experimental group, receiving the intervention of the 6-week nutrition education class Fueling for Performance (FFP). And the other team served as the control group, receiving no treatment. The purpose was to examine the effect of the FFP intervention on energy balance, body composition and self-efficacy compared to the control group, pre- and post- intervention. The participants provided pre- and post intervention data through 3-day food records entered in MyPlate Super Tracker, wearing of a BodyMedia Senswear device, skin fold measures, circumference measures, and a self-efficacy questionnaire. The data retrieved was analyzed in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20, using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) to analyze inter-group changes in energy balance and body composition pre- and post- intervention. A Chi square analysis was used to examine differences at baseline for the six self-efficacy questions. Following Chi square analysis, a Log-linear ANOVA was used to examine inter-group changes in self-efficacy. Results showed that the FFP group significantly improved body composition. There were no significant differences in energy balance and self-efficacy between groups, contrary to our hypothesis. This study provided important information and underlined the importance of nutritional education for female collegiate athletes to prevent negative energy balance in the target population. This study also provided evidence that the nutritional education program FFP may improve dietary habits, body composition and self-efficacy in female athletes, which in turn will improve their health and help them improve their performance to meet their goals