SOUTH AFRICAN SOCCER PLAYERS’ DIETARY INTAKE: A NEED FOR INTERVENTION?

Abstract

Introduction: Soccer is a popular sport in the Xikundu area. However, soccer players’ dietary intake remains unknown.Objective: To determine soccer athletes’ energy and macronutrient intakes in the Xikundu area in Limpopo province, South Africa.Methodology: Ninety-seven (97) competitive soccer athletes were randomly sampled from five soccer teams in the Xikundu area, Limpopo province. The dietary intake of athletes was collected using multiple 24-hour-recall questionnaires on different days. The body Mass of the athletes was measured to calculate nutrient requirements. SAMRC Food Finder was used to analyze meal intakes, and mean nutrient intake from the three recalls was considered. The dietary and demographic data were exported onto the SPSS (v.28), and descriptive statistics were applied. Results were compared to the sports nutrition guidelines. Pearson test was used to correlate data, and a probability value (p) of ≤ .05 was a significant criterion to correlate variables.Results: All athletes were young males aged 21.6±4.2 years. The majority (84.5%) had grade 12 certificates and a few (4.1%) - degrees. More than half (60%) participated in soccer for >4 years. Athletes (74%) trained once per day in a week. Athletes consumed energy (23.0±6.6 kcal/kg/day), carbohydrates (3.0±0.9 g/kg/day), and protein (1.0±0.3 g/kg/day) suboptimal, while fat consumption was optimal (0.7±0.5 g/kg/day). No significant correlation (p>.05) was found between dietary intake with demography and anthropometry.Conclusion: The soccer athlete’s energy and macronutrient intakes were mostly suboptimal to the sports nutrition recommendations.