Nutritional Knowledge, Dietary Intake and Nutritional Status of Athletes Undertaking Training in Nandi County

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dc.contributor.authorAtieno, L. B.
dc.contributor.authorBoor, F. K.
dc.contributor.authorWakoli, A. B.
dc.contributor.authorKiptui, C. J.
dc.contributor.authorChepkoech, M.
dc.date.accessioned2026-03-06T02:45:14Z
dc.date.available2026-03-06T02:45:14Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.descriptionTraining and competing in sports involve a range of activities of varying energy demands. Athletics is one of the sports where athletes might face a challenge in balancing their individual energy needs due to inadequate dietary intake and restriction of energy intake to maintain a low body mass and fat level. Understanding the required practice of sports nutrition also contributes to optimal athletic performance. This study assessed the nutrition knowledge, nutritional status, and dietary intake of athletes in selected training camps of Nandi County. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was employed, with four training camps purposively selected and 82 athletes conveniently recruited. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and anthropometric measurements, and analyzed with SPSS version 23. Spearman correlation tested relationships at a significance level of 0.05. Findings showed that nearly all respondents (98.8%) had heard about sports nutrition, with coaches being the leading source (48.8%) and nutritionists at 18.3%. Dietary intake was generally adequate, and 82% of respondents had a normal BMI. No significant correlation (p > 0.05) was found between nutritional status and dietary intake or nutritional knowledge. The study concluded that coaches were the main source of nutritional knowledge, with nutritionists being less frequently consulted, potentially compromising information accuracy. It is crucial for nutritionists to lead in providing guidance, while coaches, sports managers, and scientists should also be equipped with sports nutrition guidelines to ensure athletes receive reliable information.
dc.description.abstractTraining and competing in sports involve a range of activities of varying energy demands. Athletics is one of the sports where athletes might face a challenge in balancing their individual energy needs due to inadequate dietary intake and restriction of energy intake to maintain a low body mass and fat level. In addition, understanding of the required practice of sports nutrition will contribute to optimal athletic performance. This study intended to assess the nutrition knowledge, nutritional status and dietary intake of athletes in selected training camps of Nandi County. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was employed where four training camps were purposively selected for the study. A total of 82 athletes were conveniently recruited into the study. A self-administered questionnaire and anthropometric measuring equipment for weight and height were used for data collection. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. Spearman correlation was used to check for correlations at a significance level of 0.05. From the study findings, nearly all (98.8%) of the respondents had heard about sports nutrition; of these, coaches were leading at 48.8% while nutritionists stood at 18.3%. Generally, dietary intake was adequate. Over three-quarters (82%) of respondents had a normal BMI. A Spearman correlation found no significant correlation (p>0.05) between nutritional status and dietary intake as well as nutritional knowledge of athletes. The study indicated the highest source of nutritional knowledge were coaches with nutritionists being among the least sourced. This might have compromised the accuracy of information received. Therefore, it is crucial for nutritionists to take lead and at the same time coaches, sports managers and scientists be furnished with guidelines on sports nutrition in order to guarantee that athletes are given appropriate and reliable information.
dc.identifier.citationAtieno, L. B., Boor, F. K., Wakoli, A. B., Kiptui, C. J., & Chepkoech, M. (2025). Nutritional knowledge, dietary intake and nutritional status of athletes undertaking training in Nandi County. Baraton Interdisciplinary Research Journal, 11(1), 1–8.
dc.identifier.issn2789-3995
dc.identifier.urihttps://ir.ueab.ac.ke/handle/123456789/332
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherUniversity of Eastern Africa, Baraton
dc.relation.ispartofseriesBaraton Interdisciplinary Research Journal; Vol. 11, No. 1
dc.titleNutritional Knowledge, Dietary Intake and Nutritional Status of Athletes Undertaking Training in Nandi County
dc.typeArticle
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