NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS FOR ATHLETES: KNOWLEDGE OF NUTRITION UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Abstract

For being a phenomenon that showed large growth only in this decade, sports supplementation is still a relatively unexplored subject in the curricula of undergraduate health students. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the level of knowledge of undergraduate nutrition students on nutritional supplementation for athletes. To do so, a cross-section, descriptive, population and quantitative approach study was conducted with 124 students enrolled from the fourth to seventh period of the course, 87.1% females with mean age of 21.9 ± 2.2 years. It was found that among 11 supplements mentioned, the students demonstrated sufficient knowledge only about albumin, creatine and vitamins. Men had a significantly greater interest in seeking information on legislation on nutritional supplements (P <0.05). Similarly, they were more knowledgeable on the concept of ergogenic (P <0.05). It was also found a correlation between gender and the consumption of supplements (P <0.05), where men made greater use. The doctor was seen as the professional that most prescribed supplements among individuals surveyed (33.3%). Nevertheless, it was observed that the majority (97.6%) chose the dietitian as the most suitable for prescribing supplements. It follows therefore that the absence of a discipline of sports supplementation impairs the knowledge of nutrition undergraduates on nutritional supplements for the practice of physical exercises. This study highlights the need for the implementation of disciplines including sports nutrition in the curriculum of undergraduate nutrition courses.