Perceptions of body weight and nutritional practices among male and female National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II athletes

ABSTRACT

Objective: This study investigated body weight and nutritional behavior perceptions among Division II collegiate athletes. Participants: The sample was composed of 155 collegiate athletes who responded to a survey. Methods: Data were self-reported by athletes via questionnaire. Independent-sample t tests were used to identify significant gender differences related to body weight perceptions, nutritional practices, and ideal weight difference (IWD). An alpha level of .05 was used to determine statistical significance. Results: Mean ± SD female and male IWD was −6.8 ± 8.8 and 1.3 ± 12.3 lbs, respectively (p < .001). Significant differences in level of agreement regarding perceived body weight effects on performance and dietary practices existed between genders. Conclusions: Significant gender differences may exist regarding body weight perceptions and nutritional practices among collegiate athletes. Deliverance of gender-specific educational information about proper nutritional practices is warranted. To properly tailor interventions to specific sports, research with larger sample sizes is needed.

KEYWORDS:

• Athletes
• body weight
• nutritional practices
• supplementation

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the Saginaw Valley State University Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects in Research and Related Activities.

Funding

No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.