Hydration and fluid replacement knowledge, attitudes, barriers and behaviors of NCAA Division I football players at a midwestern university

The purpose of this study was to determine the: 1) knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors toward hydration and fluid replacement among collegiate football players at an NCAA Division I University, overall , and the relationship, if any, by position on the team, number of seasons played, and previous nutrition education; 2) relationship between the athletes’ hydration knowledge, attitudes and behaviors; 3) current sources of nutrition information likely to be used by the football players; and 4) players’ perception of the adequacy of, and barriers to, their fluid intake before, during, and after exercise. The players’ mean Hydration Knowledge Score was 14.2 ± 1.4 out of 17 (83.5%). Common misconceptions included: 60% thought water, rather than sports drinks, should be consumed when exercising for more than one hour; 54% did not believe sports drinks are better at restoring muscle glycogen than water; 47% believed salt tablets kept players from getting dehydrated; and 42% indicated thirst is the best indicator of dehydration. No differences were detected by number of seasons, position or previous nutrition education.Department of Family and Consumer SciencesThesis (M.S.