Caracterização da seleção brasileira de cheerleading: avaliação da composição corporal e do consumo alimentar

Abstract

Cheerleading is a dynamicand intense sport, characterized by the performance of acrobatic movements, stunt and dance. With strong aesthetic appeal, cheerleaders are at nutritional risk.In order to provide adequate nutritional monitoring and enhance the sports performance of athletes, it is necessary to understand the particularities of the modality and athletes involved. With that, the aim of this research was to characterize the athletes of the Team Brazil Cheerleading, as it is an emerging sport. This is a cross-sectional, descriptive and quantitative study. The sample consisted of 53 athletes, of both sexes, who participated in the Cheerleading Worlds in April 2023. Data collection took place during the pre-competition period and included: 1) an online questionnaire to obtain sociodemographic information; 2) anthropometric assessment, measuring height, body mass, circumferences and skinfolds; and 3) application of a 24-hour dietary recall. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, mean and standard deviation) and for group comparisons, adopting a significance level of p<0.05, the T Test for independent samples and the Mann Whitney U Test were applied, according to the data distribution. The correlation of variables was performed using the Spearman test. The sample consisted of 35 female and 18 male athletes, subdivided according sex and position. The overall mean values found were: height (1.65 ± 0.09 m), body mass (66.6 ± 15.3 kg), BMI (24.4 ± 3.8 kg/m²) and BF (18.8 ± 8.4 %). The anthropometric data were similar to those of athletes from other nationalities, with adequate BMI and body fat values. The different positions performed have significant differences, in which bases have higher values than flyers in these variables. The mean macronutrients intake (1.8 ± 0.8 g/kg PTN, 3.4 ± 1.1 g/kg CHO and 0.8 ± 0.3 g/kg LIP) was in accordance with reference values, but all athletes presented low energy availability (18.6 ±8.8 kcal/kg FFM). An indirect correlation was found between BF and energy intake (-0.44; moderate) and BF and protein intake (-0.61; strong). Low energy availability can harm both the performance and the health of athletes, highlighting the importance of nutritionists in the context of high performance. Sports where there is aesthetic appeal, as in the case of cheerleading, there is a risk not only of suboptimal energy and nutrients intake, but also of eating disorders and body imagedissatisfaction. This study provided a general understanding of the characteristics of high-performance cheerleaders in the country, making it possible to base more specific nutritional guidelines and contribute to the development of the sport in the academic-scientific context.