Prevalence and Frequency of Supplement Use and Sports Foods: A Comparison Between Collegiate and High School Endurance Runners

The purpose of this study was to compare the frequency and types of dietary supplement products and sports foods used among high school and collegiate male and female endurance runners. A total of 172 (n= 36 high school; n= 136 collegiate) endurance runners responded to the nutrition screening survey (NSS) questions addressing intake of dietary supplements and sports foods. This study found that collegiate, compared to high school, runners trended toward a higher frequency of overall supplement use (78.7%, Χ² = 2.901, p=0.09). In addition, a higher proportion of collegiate compared to high school runners reported use of three or more dietary supplements (47.8%, Χ² = 4.178, p<0.05). Specifically, collegiate athletes were 2.3 times more likely to use three or more supplements compared to high school athletes (OR (95% CI) = 2.29 (1.02, 5.13)). Collegiate runners also noted higher use of vitamin/mineral supplements (77.9%, Χ² = 8.155, p