(33) A COMPARISON OF SPORTS NUTRITION KNOWLEDGE AND SLEEP QUALITY SCORE OF MALE AND FEMALE NCAA DIVISION II ATHLETES

Purpose: Sports nutrition knowledge (SKN) and sleep quality (SQ) may vary between sports and could influence athletic performance and dietary habits. Previous research has investigated the sports nutrition knowledge of various college athletes, but research on the comparison of their SNK and SQ in NCAA Division II sports is scarce. This study compared the SNK and SQ of male and female NCAA Division II athletes at the start of the academic school year. Methods: 217 NCAA Division II athletes (Females = 131, age = 20.4 ± 1.9 yrs; Males = 86, age = 21.0 ± 1.5 yrs) from 10 sports (7 female sports and 3 male sports) participated in this study. SKN was measured using the Abridged Nutrition for Sport Knowledge Questionnaire (ANSKQ) and SQ was measured using the Athlete Sleep Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ). Results: SNK mean percentage scores and SQ, respectively, were as follows: Golf (Men) = 44.13% (SD = 7.44%), 5.6 (SD = 1.9); Basketball (Women) = 43.74% (SD = 9.92%), 6.0 (SD = 1.2); Volleyball (Women) = 41.51% (SD = 12.17%), 5.7 (SD = 1.9); Softball (Women) = 41.49% (SD = 13.37%), 5.7 (SD = 2.9); Track & Field (Women) = 41.19% (SD = 10.65%), 5.5 (SD = 2.2); Baseball (Men) = 39.68% (SD = 13.03%), 6.0 (SD = 2.1); Soccer (Women) = 37.22% (SD = 11.21%), 6.3 (SD = 2.4); Cross Country (Women) = 36.39% (SD = 14.87%), 6.4 (SD = 3.1); Soccer (Men) = 36.10% (SD = 12.79%), 4.7 (SD = 2.4) and Basketball (Men) = 31.95% (SD = 11.77%), 6.5 (SD 3.3). ANOVAs revealed no significant difference between sports for SNK (F = 1.453, p = 0.167) or SQ (F = 1.163, p = 0.320). Conclusions: There is no significant variability between sports for SNK and SQ; however, SNK is considered poor, on average, for all NCAA Division II athletes. Sleep disturbances among this group of athletes appear to be mild based on the average SQ score for this sample. Practical Applications: SNK needs to be improved in Division II athletes, and they may benefit from receiving education in basic sports nutrition recommendations to enhance their ability to make better dietary decisions. Better dietary choices may positively impact their sports performance. Acknowledgements: None