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Abstract
Background
Appropriate dietary intake can have a significant influence on athletic performance. There is a growing consensus on sports nutrition and professionals working with athletes often provide dietary education. However, due to the limitations of existing sports nutrition knowledge questionnaires, previous reports of athletes’ nutrition knowledge may be inaccurate.
Methods
An updated questionnaire has been developed based on a recent review of sports nutrition guidelines. The tool has been validated using a robust methodology that incorporates relevant techniques from classical test theory (CTT) and Item response theory (IRT), namely, Rasch analysis.
Results
The final questionnaire has 89 questions and six sub-sections (weight management, macronutrients, micronutrients, sports nutrition, supplements, and alcohol). The content and face validity of the tool have been confirmed based on feedback from expert sports dietitians and university sports students, respectively. The internal reliability of the questionnaire as a whole is high (KR = 0.88), and most sub-sections achieved an acceptable internal reliability. Construct validity has been confirmed, with an independent T-test revealing a significant (p < 0.001) difference in knowledge scores of nutrition (64 ± 16%) and non-nutrition students (51 ± 19%). Test-retest reliability has been assured, with a strong correlation (r = 0.92, p < 0.001) between individuals’ scores on two attempts of the test, 10 days to 2 weeks apart. Three of the sub-sections fit the Rasch Unidimensional Model.
Conclusions
The final version of the questionnaire represents a significant improvement over previous tools. Each nutrition sub-section is unidimensional, and therefore researchers and practitioners can use these individually, as required. Use of the questionnaire will allow researchers to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of nutrition education programs, and differences in knowledge across athletes of varying ages, genders, and athletic calibres.
Electronic supplementary material
The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0182-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Electronic supplementary material
The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0182-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank all the participants who were involved in the various stages of the study. A special thanks to the Sports Dietitians who took part in the expert panel review, and to Dr. Brooke Lea Devlin, who contributed to an internal review of an early version of the questionnaire.
Funding
This work was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship (GT).
Availability of data and materials
The data used/and or analyses during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. The final version of the UNSQ is available from the corresponding author.
Authors contributions
GT designed the study, drafted the first version of the questionnaire, undertook all data analysis, wrote the majority of the manuscript and oversaw the manuscript preparation. AF assisted with the study design, decision making regarding modifications to the questionnaire, and manuscript preparation. RH assisted with the study design and manuscript preparation. RB is the Chief Investigator of the study, assisted with the study design, decision making regarding modifications to the questionnaire, and manuscript preparation. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Ethics approval and consent to participate
The research was approved (S16/267) by the La Trobe University’s SHE College Human Ethics Sub-Committee (SHE CHESC). Participants in the expert panel review and think-out-loud focus groups read the Participant Information Statement and signed the Consent Form. Participants who were involved insteps six to eight read the Participant Information Statement and provided consent electronically.
Consent for publication
No individual’s data has been collected or reported.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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