Development of a Personal Health Management Chart for the Nutrition Education of Top Amateur Soccer Players

Adequate nutrient intake is indispensible in maintaining athletes’ health and improving match fitness. When providing nutrition guidance to athletes, it is necessary to create improvement targets through discussions between the athlete and mentor, based on each athlete’s physical condition and dietary intake. In this study we aimed to develop a functional personal health management chart as a medium for nutrition education. Physical condition measurements , blood tests, physical activity measurements, and dietary intake surveys (including snacks, water, and supplements), were carried out for 24 males belonging to a top amateur soccer team. Food consciousness and attained levels of the required nutritional knowledge for athletes were also investigated for each player. The personal health management chart was created in a format that allows confirmation of change over time, based on the assessment results of each player. In relation to diet, it was made possible to assess current condition by creating an appropriate range for each subject based on the dietary goals of energy, nutrient and food group intake as recommended by the Japan Sports Association, and Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese. Furthermore, we grouped the subjects according to their attained knowledge level regarding sports nutrition, and used it as an index in selecting a nutritional education method for each subject. By integrating these results, it became possible to set improvement goals for each subject and display them on the chart. In the future, we aim to provide guidance using the chart many times, constantly making improvements, while creating a chart that can be used for nutrition education in all sporting disciplines