Adolescent and Young Adult Male Hockey Players: Nutrition Knowledge and Education

Abstract

Athletes often have inadequate nutrition knowledge and poor nutritional habits, which can have a negative impact on athletic performance. This study assessed the nutrition knowledge of competitive adolescent and young adult male hockey players, and examined the impact of a nutrition intervention program, Sport Nutrition for the Athletes of Canada (SNAC). Before the intervention, nutrition knowledge was tested in 175 adolescent and young adult male hockey players. The intervention was provided as part of a hockey camp curriculum and was based on the SNAC workbook, which emphasizes achieving a balanced diet with adequate energy and fluid intake. After the intervention, nutrition knowledge was assessed in a subgroup of 33 hockey players. The pre-intervention nutrition knowledge score was 45% (n = 175), which suggests this population had little sport nutrition knowledge. Nutrition knowledge scores two weeks after the intervention showed no meaningful improvement in the subgroup. The results of this study suggest that the SNAC nutrition intervention program offered under the conditions of this study, did not effectively improve nutrition knowledge in adolescent and young adult male hockey players.