Food literacy among athletes: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: Adopting good nutritional practices and strategies can be attributed to a better understanding of dietary knowledge and habits, thus promoting good sports performance. This study aimed to assess athletes' nutritional knowledge, eating habits, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Methodology: Cross-sectional survey of 70 adult athletes. Data were collected using a questionnaire assessing their eating habits, nutritional knowledge (Abridged Nutrition for Sport Knowledge Questionnaire, A-NSKQ), and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (Medi-Lite score). Statistical analyses were performed using R software (version 3.0.3), with a significance level set at p < 0.05. Results: Athletes were young adults (18.9–27.8 years) with an average of 7.5 ± 2.8 years of sports practice. Most participants (77.1%) reported consuming four or more meals per day. No sex differences were observed in the consumption of milk and derivatives, cereals, legumes, or starchy foods. In contrast, men generally consumed other food groups more frequently, except for sweet products, which were consumed more often by women (p < 0.001). Overall nutritional knowledge was low (46.5%), with significantly higher scores for general nutrition compared with sports nutrition (67.3% vs. 36.9%; p < 0.001). Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was moderate (mean score: 7.95), with higher scores in men than women and a large effect size. No significant correlations were observed between length of time in sport and either general nutrition knowledge (r = 0.04) or sports nutrition knowledge (r = 0.03). Likewise, adherence to the Mediterranean diet was not significantly correlated with general nutrition knowledge (r = 0.0001), sports nutrition knowledge (r = 0.0013), or total nutrition knowledge (r = 0.0011). Conclusion: The present study found no significant correlation between nutritional knowledge and adherence to the Mediterranean diet, with athletes demonstrating low levels of both. These findings underscore the necessity for targeted nutrition education interventions to enhance dietary knowledge and practices.