Teenage athletes and food choices

Background: Nutritious food choices are important for the health, fitness and sport performance of teenage athletes. Understanding young athletes’ nutrition knowledge and the influences which affect their food choices can inform and enhance the nutrition-education programs available to this population. Purpose: To understand what factors influence the food choices of high school athletes and the possible consequences of these factors for student health and sport performance. Additionally, where do athletes obtain their nutrition information and how accurate is this information? Methods: The study sample consists of 83 students from a southern Alberta urban center. The questionnaire used in the study includes a demographic section, 10 agree/disagree opinion questions, 13 questions related to typical food choice patterns and 5 questions regarding food choice influences. Two small focus group discussions with assenting/consenting student athlete volunteers consisted of open-ended questions relating to food choices and influencing factors as a follow-up to the questionnaire responses. Results: High school students enrolled in sport academy programs who receive nutrition education regarding enhancing their sport performance, have a better understanding of sport nutrition requirements. Students listed their coaches and parents as the primary source of sport nutrition information. Students acknowledged that having confidence in food preparation skills can improve their food choices. Conclusion: Recognizing the factors that affect the food choices of teenage athletes can enhance the future delivery of foods and nutrition education programs by helping young athletes analyze their food choices and to understand how their food choices can heighten their performance levels in their sport of choice.Education, Faculty ofCurriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department ofUnreviewedGraduat