Who is the university athlete in Brazil: Cross-sectional study on what they look for in nutritional counseling and its nutritional aspects
Abstract
Objective: Identify nutritional characteristics of college athletes from a university in Southern Brazil and what they seek in nutrition counseling. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with university athletes from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Anthropometric data, food intake, objective in nutritional counseling, training routine, alcohol consumption, smoking, and food supplements were evaluated. Statistical analysis included the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for data distribution and the Chi-square test to compare differences between genders and the number of appointments in team sports or individual modalities, adopting a significance level of less than 5 % (p<0.05). Results: The sample consisted of 50.1% female athletes and 49.9% male athletes. The average training frequency was 3.3 (±1.7) times a week, and team sports encompassed 80% of the athletes assisted. The main objective of nutritional counseling was to improve body composition, and only 17.4% of male and 20.4% of female athletes had a body fat percentage in line with what was desirable. The food consumption analysis showed lower levels of energy (1849.26 ±509.9 kcal) and carbohydrate intake (3.21 ±1.05 g/kg) compared to what is recommended for the sport. Among the dietary supplements consumed, the most cited was Whey Protein (62.5%), but less than 1/3 of the sample reported using some supplement. Conclusion: The university athletes evaluated have a nutritional profile similar to an amateur athlete, not a high-performance athlete. The elevated body fat in most participants, median training frequency, and food intake with critical inadequacies contribute to this hypothesis.
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