Assessment of general, sports, and Pakistan-specific nutrition knowledge among recreational university athletes in Pakistan

Abstract

Nutrition knowledge is the most significant component that leads to adopting healthy eating habits and a balanced dietary pattern, consequently improving health and athletic performance. Pakistan, a developing country, has many athletes who perform different sports and compete and win internationally, but their nutrition knowledge is a limiting factor that is not being evaluated. The purpose of this study was to assess the total nutrition knowledge (TNK), including general nutrition knowledge (GNK), sports nutrition knowledge (SNK), and Pakistan nutrition knowledge (PNK) among recreational university athletes of Pakistan. A cross-sectional study was conducted, and 200 participants were recruited. The data were collected using a validated questionnaire, i.e., The Abridged Nutrition for Sports Knowledge Questionnaire (ANSKQ). The Kruskal–Wallis test was used to compare mean scores. The statistical analyses were performed at a 95% probability level.

Keywords: Recreational athletes, Sports nutrition, Nutrition knowledge, Nutrition evaluation, Pakistan