Nutrition knowledge and dietary composition in Italian adolescent female athletes and non-athletes
2002
Cupisti, A. | D'Alessandro, C. | Castrogiovanni, S. | Barale, A. | Morelli, E.
This study aims to investigate dietary composition and nutrition knowledge of 60 athlete and 59 non-athlete adolescent females (age, 14-18 years), using a 3-day food recall and a questionnaire on nutrition. The reported daily energy intake was similar in athletes and non-athletes, but less than the recommended and the estimated requirements. In the athletes, the energy supply from breakfast was higher than in the non-athletes (18.5+/-6.6 vs. 15.0+/-8.2%, p < .005). Energy intake from carbohydrates was higher (53.6+/-6.2 vs. 49.8+/-6.3%, p < .05) and that from lipids was lower (30.4+/-5.5 vs. 34.2+/-5.2%, p < .001) in athletes than in non-athletes. Athletes also showed higher fiber (20.0+/-5.8 vs. 14.1+/-4.3 g/day, p < .001), iron (10.6+/-5.1 vs. 7.5+/-2.1 mg/day, p < .001) and vitamin A (804+/-500 vs. 612+/-456 microgram/day, p < .05) reported intake than non-athletes. Calcium, iron, and zinc intake were less than 100% RDA in both groups. Athletes gave a slightly higher rate of correct answers on the nutrition knowledge questionnaire (77.6 vs. 71.6%, p < .01) than non-athletes. In conclusion, the overall recalled dietary intake and nutrition knowledge of the studied adolescent females show some misconceptions and nutrient deficiencies, but the results in athletes are quite better than in non-athletes, suggesting a favorable role of sport practice on dietary habits and nutrition knowledge.
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