Motivation is key to success in sports. It is a combination of internal factors that drive athletes to reach their goals and external factors that affect the realization of these goals

Motivacija je ključ sportskog uspjeha i predstavlja kombinaciju unutarnjih i vanjskih čimbenika koji tjeraju sportaše da postignu svoje ciljeve. Kako bi unaprijedili svoje sportske sposobnosti i poboljšali svoje rezultate, osim podizanja motivacije, intenzivnog rada na podizanju svoje sportske spremnosti kvalitetnim treninzima, sportaši koriste i različita sredstva poput dodataka prehrani. Sama njihova primjena nije dovoljno definirana specifičnim zakonskim propisima koji bi garantirali sigurnost njihova sastava i učinka. Kako bi povećali svijest o uporabi suplemenata i utvrdili potrebu o boljoj zakonskoj regulativi i uputima za uporabu sportskih suplemenata, ispitali smo profesionalne sportaše u sportskim klubovima u Republici Makedoniji. Istražili smo koriste li suplemente, te njihove osobne stavove o korištenju dodataka prehrani u odnosu na motivaciju bavljenja profesionalnim sportom. Sportaši su bili ispitani dragovoljno i anonimno, putem Upitnika o motivaciji bavljenja sportom (SMS-6) i Upitnika o uporabi i osobnim stavovima o korištenju sportske suplementacije. Rezultati istraživanja su pokazali da najveći dio sportaša koristi dodatke u prehrani (79,2%), i to proteinske suplemente (72,5%) u obliku shakea (75%). Iako većina ispitanika navodi da smatraju da imaju dovoljno poznavanja o suplementima, da istražuju i savjetuju se prije nego što ih počnu primjenjivati, upitna je njihova pravilna informiranost i znanje koje imaju o suplementima. U odnosu na motivaciju, istraživanje je pokazalo da je dominantna forma motivacije integrirana regulacija (sr.vrijednost=24,27 ± 3,98), a da je amotivacija najmanje zastupljena (sr.vrijednost=6,56 ± 4,07). Studija je pokazala da u odnosu na uporabu i stavove o suplementima, generalno, ne postoji razlika u različitim podtipovima motivacije. Prema ovome se može zaključiti o potrebi od bolje informiranosti i edukacije sportaša, pa će prikupljeni podaci biti osnova za izradu preporuka i edukativnih programa za pravilnu uporabu sportskih suplemenata imajući u vidu i motivaciju u profesionalnih sportaša.Motivation is key to success in sports. It is a combination of internal factors that drive athletes to reach their goals and external factors that affect the realization of these goals. Besides increased motivation and intensive training to improve their sports performance, athletes use other means, such as sports supplements, to enhance their sport abilities and their results. The usage of sports supplements is not well defined by specific legislation that would guarantee the safety of their composition and effects. To raise awareness for the use of sports supplements and to determine the need for better legislation and instructions for the use of sports supplements, we examined professional athletes from clubs in Republic of Macedonia. This study investigated the athletes' usage of and attitudes towards sports supplements and related them to their motivation for participation in professional sports. The athletes participated in this research voluntarily and anonymously, using the Sports Motivation Scale questionnaire (SMS-6) and the Questionnaire for sports supplement use. The results of the research showed that the majority of athletes use sports supplements (79,2%), like protein supplements (72,5%) in the form of shake (75%). Although the majority of the examinees think that they have sufficient knowledge about supplements and say that they research and consult before they start using them, their awareness and real knowledge about supplements are questionable. Regarding the motivation, the results showed that integrated regulation (mean value=24,27 ± 3,98) is the dominant form of motivation in the examined group, and that amotivation is the least present (mean value=6,56 ± 4,07). The study showed that, in general, regarding the use and attitudes towards supplements in athletes, there is no signifficant difference between the different types of motivation. We can conclude that there is a need for risen awareness and better education for sports supplement use in athletes. So the collected data will be a base for creating recommendations and educational programs for proper use of sports supplements, also considering the motivation for sports