Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior
Volume 36, Issue 3 , Pages 135-139, May 2004

Nutrition Education Intervention for College Female Athletes

  • Doris A. Abood, EDD, CHES

      Affiliations

    • Department of Nutrition, Food, and Exercise Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress for correspondence: Doris A. Abood, EdD, CHES, Department of Nutrition, Food, and Exercise Sciences, Florida State University, 408 Sandels Building, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1493; Tel: (850) 644-4796; Fax: (850) 645-5000
    • ,
  • David R. Black, PHD, HSPP, CHES, MPH, CPPE, FASHA, FSBM, FAAHB

      Affiliations

    • Departments of Health and Kinesiology; Foods and Nutrition; Health Sciences; and Nursing, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
    • ,
  • Rachel D. Birnbaum, MS

      Affiliations

    • Department of Nutrition, Food, and Exercise Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida

Abstract 

Objective

To evaluate the efficacy of a nutrition education intervention for college female athletes to improve nutrition knowledge, build self-efficacy with respect to making healthful dietary choices, and improve dietary intake.

Design

A pretest-posttest control group design was implemented.

Participants

A women's soccer team (n =15) and a women's swim team (n = 15) were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups, respectively.

Intervention

The intervention focused on nutrition knowledge, self-efficacy in making healthful dietary choices, and dietary practices to demonstrate treatment effect.

Main Outcome Measures

Dependent variables were nutrition knowledge, self-efficacy, and dietary practices. Independent variables were group assignment.

Analyses

The Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyze the results between groups, and the Fisher exact probability test was used to detect differences between groups in the number of positive dietary changes.

Results

Treatment participants significantly improved nutrition knowledge, self-efficacy (P < .05), and the overall number of positive dietary changes (P < .03).

Conclusions

This study reduces the paucity of nutrition education intervention research among athletes and demonstrates the ability to increase not only nutrition knowledge, which is typically reported, but also self-efficacy and improvement in overall positive dietary changes during an 8-week intervention.

Key Words:  nutrition education , college female athletes

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PII: S1499-4046(06)60150-4

doi:10.1016/S1499-4046(06)60150-4

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior
Volume 36, Issue 3 , Pages 135-139, May 2004

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