Adequate nutrition is vital for the health, wellness, and performance of college athletes1,2. Previous literature suggests that college athletes have poor dietary practices3-8. A possible explanation for this is lack of nutrition knowledge. Previous knowledge surveys used have limitations that make them inappropriate for use in this population. In order to assess the nutrition knowledge of college athletes reliably, a new tool must be developed that has characteristics that promote the athletes to respond in completion, and practitioners must believe in its usefulness and practicality. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to examine the relationship between sport nutrition knowledge and dietary habits of college athletes through the development and validation of a sport nutrition knowledge assessment tool made specifically for this population. Three studies were conducted. The first was a nutrition knowledge assessment in college athletes (n=125) using a tool previously validated in the general population9. The average score was 58%, with females (average 67%) and athletes of non-revenue sports (i.e., sports other than football, basketball, or ice hockey; average 70%) scoring significantly better than males (average 46%) or athletes of revenue sports (average 46%), respectively. In general, the athletes had poor nutrition knowledge.The second study was the development and validation of the 25-question Sport Nutrition Assessment of Knowledge (SNAK) screener. First, the SNAK was developed using position stands and reviews on nutrition for sport in conjunction with feedback from experts. Next, a sample of college athletes and dietetic students (n=116 total) completed the SNAK. Results showed high knowledge scores (average 88%), which suggests that either the pilot version may have been too easy, or the athletes truly have high knowledge. A revised, 22-question SNAK was then developed based on statistical and qualitative feedback. The third study was a deeper investigation into the dietary habits of college athletes (n=94). This was done using the Automated Self-Administered 24-hour (ASA24) Dietary Assessment Tool10 and analyzed using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)11. Results showed an average score of 59 out of 100 possible for diet quality, which is equivalent to a grade of F based on the recommended grading scheme12. In general, the athletes displayed poor diet quality. Overall, this dissertation indicates that having high nutrition knowledge does not lead to high diet quality in college athletes. Future research should be done to investigate the barriers between knowledge and behavior, as well as the best intervention strategies to improve diet quality in this specific population.
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