The effects of a nutritional intervention on the sports nutrition knowledge and nutritional status of track and field athletes: protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Abstract Background Sports nutrition plays a crucial role in providing the fuel to meet the energy demands of athletes’ training programmes, enhancing adaptations associated with training, and ensuring rapid recovery between workouts. However, evidence suggests that the dietary habits of many athlet...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2025-02-01
|
| Series: | Trials |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-024-08683-9 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849715609956253696 |
|---|---|
| author | Ranil Jayawardena Kalani Weerasinghe Indu Nanayakkara Terrence Madhujith Andrew P. Hills Nishan Sudheera Kalupahana |
| author_facet | Ranil Jayawardena Kalani Weerasinghe Indu Nanayakkara Terrence Madhujith Andrew P. Hills Nishan Sudheera Kalupahana |
| author_sort | Ranil Jayawardena |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Sports nutrition plays a crucial role in providing the fuel to meet the energy demands of athletes’ training programmes, enhancing adaptations associated with training, and ensuring rapid recovery between workouts. However, evidence suggests that the dietary habits of many athletes are unsatisfactory when compared to sport-specific nutrition recommendations. This discrepancy is mainly due to a lack of up-to-date, evidence-based nutritional knowledge. Hence, this parallel-group, randomized controlled clinical trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a 16-week evidence-based, culturally appropriate, personalized sports nutrition intervention on the sports nutrition knowledge and nutritional status of track and field athletes in Sri Lanka, in comparison to a control group that does not receive this intervention. Methods Elite and highly trained track and field athletes, competing at the national level and/or representing Sri Lanka in international competitions, will be randomly allocated to either the intervention group (IG) (n = 15) or the control group (CG) (n = 15). Participants in the IG will receive an evidence-based, culturally acceptable, personalized sports nutrition intervention from the principal investigator through one-to-one consultations at three-time points (zeroth, fourth, and eighth weeks), while participants in the CG will be followed up throughout the period without receiving the intervention. The primary outcome measure is the number of participants who achieve at least a 10% increase in mean sports nutrition knowledge (SNK) score at the end of the 16th week, compared to the CG. Secondary outcomes include nutrition status and sports performance-related measures at the beginning and end of the intervention. Discussion While the primary objective is to enhance SNK, it is anticipated that improvements in nutritional status and overall health may significantly impact sports performance and career longevity of the athletes. Trial registration Sri Lanka Clinical Trials Registry, SLCTR/2024/013. Registered on 10th April 2024. Universal Trial Number (UTN), U1111-1304–8890. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cda8dd6abdc54054a2fc2a7a972814bc |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1745-6215 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Trials |
| spelling | doaj-art-cda8dd6abdc54054a2fc2a7a972814bc2025-08-20T03:13:18ZengBMCTrials1745-62152025-02-0126111610.1186/s13063-024-08683-9The effects of a nutritional intervention on the sports nutrition knowledge and nutritional status of track and field athletes: protocol for a randomized controlled trialRanil Jayawardena0Kalani Weerasinghe1Indu Nanayakkara2Terrence Madhujith3Andrew P. Hills4Nishan Sudheera Kalupahana5Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of ColomboHealth and Wellness Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of ColomboDepartment of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of PeradeniyaDepartment of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of PeradeniyaSchool of Health Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of TasmaniaDepartment of Nutrition and Health, United Arab Emirates UniversityAbstract Background Sports nutrition plays a crucial role in providing the fuel to meet the energy demands of athletes’ training programmes, enhancing adaptations associated with training, and ensuring rapid recovery between workouts. However, evidence suggests that the dietary habits of many athletes are unsatisfactory when compared to sport-specific nutrition recommendations. This discrepancy is mainly due to a lack of up-to-date, evidence-based nutritional knowledge. Hence, this parallel-group, randomized controlled clinical trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a 16-week evidence-based, culturally appropriate, personalized sports nutrition intervention on the sports nutrition knowledge and nutritional status of track and field athletes in Sri Lanka, in comparison to a control group that does not receive this intervention. Methods Elite and highly trained track and field athletes, competing at the national level and/or representing Sri Lanka in international competitions, will be randomly allocated to either the intervention group (IG) (n = 15) or the control group (CG) (n = 15). Participants in the IG will receive an evidence-based, culturally acceptable, personalized sports nutrition intervention from the principal investigator through one-to-one consultations at three-time points (zeroth, fourth, and eighth weeks), while participants in the CG will be followed up throughout the period without receiving the intervention. The primary outcome measure is the number of participants who achieve at least a 10% increase in mean sports nutrition knowledge (SNK) score at the end of the 16th week, compared to the CG. Secondary outcomes include nutrition status and sports performance-related measures at the beginning and end of the intervention. Discussion While the primary objective is to enhance SNK, it is anticipated that improvements in nutritional status and overall health may significantly impact sports performance and career longevity of the athletes. Trial registration Sri Lanka Clinical Trials Registry, SLCTR/2024/013. Registered on 10th April 2024. Universal Trial Number (UTN), U1111-1304–8890.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-024-08683-9Sports nutritionSports nutrition knowledgeSports performanceTrack and field athletes |
| spellingShingle | Ranil Jayawardena Kalani Weerasinghe Indu Nanayakkara Terrence Madhujith Andrew P. Hills Nishan Sudheera Kalupahana The effects of a nutritional intervention on the sports nutrition knowledge and nutritional status of track and field athletes: protocol for a randomized controlled trial Trials Sports nutrition Sports nutrition knowledge Sports performance Track and field athletes |
| title | The effects of a nutritional intervention on the sports nutrition knowledge and nutritional status of track and field athletes: protocol for a randomized controlled trial |
| title_full | The effects of a nutritional intervention on the sports nutrition knowledge and nutritional status of track and field athletes: protocol for a randomized controlled trial |
| title_fullStr | The effects of a nutritional intervention on the sports nutrition knowledge and nutritional status of track and field athletes: protocol for a randomized controlled trial |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effects of a nutritional intervention on the sports nutrition knowledge and nutritional status of track and field athletes: protocol for a randomized controlled trial |
| title_short | The effects of a nutritional intervention on the sports nutrition knowledge and nutritional status of track and field athletes: protocol for a randomized controlled trial |
| title_sort | effects of a nutritional intervention on the sports nutrition knowledge and nutritional status of track and field athletes protocol for a randomized controlled trial |
| topic | Sports nutrition Sports nutrition knowledge Sports performance Track and field athletes |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-024-08683-9 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT raniljayawardena theeffectsofanutritionalinterventiononthesportsnutritionknowledgeandnutritionalstatusoftrackandfieldathletesprotocolforarandomizedcontrolledtrial AT kalaniweerasinghe theeffectsofanutritionalinterventiononthesportsnutritionknowledgeandnutritionalstatusoftrackandfieldathletesprotocolforarandomizedcontrolledtrial AT indunanayakkara theeffectsofanutritionalinterventiononthesportsnutritionknowledgeandnutritionalstatusoftrackandfieldathletesprotocolforarandomizedcontrolledtrial AT terrencemadhujith theeffectsofanutritionalinterventiononthesportsnutritionknowledgeandnutritionalstatusoftrackandfieldathletesprotocolforarandomizedcontrolledtrial AT andrewphills theeffectsofanutritionalinterventiononthesportsnutritionknowledgeandnutritionalstatusoftrackandfieldathletesprotocolforarandomizedcontrolledtrial AT nishansudheerakalupahana theeffectsofanutritionalinterventiononthesportsnutritionknowledgeandnutritionalstatusoftrackandfieldathletesprotocolforarandomizedcontrolledtrial AT raniljayawardena effectsofanutritionalinterventiononthesportsnutritionknowledgeandnutritionalstatusoftrackandfieldathletesprotocolforarandomizedcontrolledtrial AT kalaniweerasinghe effectsofanutritionalinterventiononthesportsnutritionknowledgeandnutritionalstatusoftrackandfieldathletesprotocolforarandomizedcontrolledtrial AT indunanayakkara effectsofanutritionalinterventiononthesportsnutritionknowledgeandnutritionalstatusoftrackandfieldathletesprotocolforarandomizedcontrolledtrial AT terrencemadhujith effectsofanutritionalinterventiononthesportsnutritionknowledgeandnutritionalstatusoftrackandfieldathletesprotocolforarandomizedcontrolledtrial AT andrewphills effectsofanutritionalinterventiononthesportsnutritionknowledgeandnutritionalstatusoftrackandfieldathletesprotocolforarandomizedcontrolledtrial AT nishansudheerakalupahana effectsofanutritionalinterventiononthesportsnutritionknowledgeandnutritionalstatusoftrackandfieldathletesprotocolforarandomizedcontrolledtrial |