Avaliação do conhecimento nutricional de praticantes de programas de atividades físicas

Abstract

The consumption of a balanced diet that provides amounts of energy and nutrients favors performance and adaptations induced by exercise. Nutritional knowledge is one of the factors that can lead to the adoption of healthy eating habits and, consequently, favor sports performance. The aim of the study was to assess the total nutritional knowledge of physical activity practitioners. To assess knowledge of the data, a validated, translated and adapted questionnaire was used, containing 35 questions divided into two subjects. The first consists of 11 questions on general nutritional knowledge (CNG) and the second contains 24 questions on sports nutrition knowledge (CNE). Candidates were recruited through informational posters used in gyms, publicity on social networks and also by direct invitation from researchers. The questionnaire was answered online on the Google Forms platform. From the results, score scores were determined (percentage of correct answers) and comparisons were made and comparisons were made for sociodemographic characteristics, time of practice, sport, nutritional monitoring and academic knowledge about nutrition. Data were tabulated in an Excel® 2007 database and imported into IBM SPSS software for Windows version 20.0. In all analyses, the significance level adopted was p <0.05. A total of 409 subjects participated in the study, being 57.7% female (31.5 ± 9.3 years) and 42.3% male (33.7 ± 9.8 years). Height, body mass and Body Mass Index (BMI) were higher for males compared to females. The mean score of CNT of the participants was 50.7 ± 16.2% and of CNG was 62.7 ± 16.2%. Both were classified as medium and significantly higher than the CNE (45.2 ± 18.6%), classified as poor. Gender and educational level did not influence CNG. There was no difference in CNG, CNE and CNT between subjects who practiced running, cycling, crossfit, wrestling and team sports compared to non-practitioners. On the contrary, bodybuilders had higher CNG, CNE and CNT than non-practitioners (p=0.0001). Weight training was the most practiced modality, with a difference between CNG, CNE and total. Academic knowledge about nutrition impacted nutritional knowledge. In the CNG, a greater proportion of subjects with an excellent level of knowledge was observed (21.5%) and a smaller proportion with a poor level (23.5%). Most subjects (56.7%) had poor knowledge of sports nutrition and only 6.4% had excellent knowledge of CNE. Two cluster profiles were developed, in cluster 1 (n = 178), the subjects had a greater total nutritional knowledge (34.4% = good/excellent), a higher proportion of men (48.9%), the predominant age group was 18 – 24 years old (36%), the highest proportion with incomplete higher education (54.3%), it is predominated by people who have undergone or undergo nutritional monitoring (57.3%) and people with greater academic knowledge in nutrition predominate (52 .8%). In cluster 2 (n =), there was less nutritional knowledge (81.4% = poor), a higher proportion of women (61.4%), the predominant age group was 35 years or more (42.9%), a greater proportion of university graduates (59.7%) predominates people who do not or have undergone nutritional monitoring (52.8%) and individuals without academic knowledge in nutrition predominate (83.1%). It can be concluded that the surveyed practitioners of physical activity have poor to medium knowledge about nutrition, with the exception of nutrition students, nutritionists and postgraduates in Nutrition. We emphasize the need for more information on nutrition, as well as food and nutrition education, provided by a nutritionist.