NUTRITION TRAINING, ATTITUDES, KNOWLEDGE, RECOMMENDATIONS, RESPONSIBILITY, AND RESOURCE UTILIZATION OF HIGH-SCHOOL COACHES AND TRAINERS

Because misconceptions about nutrition are prevalent in athletics, we assessed the knowledge of sports-related nutrition concepts of high school athletic personnel. A questionnaire was mailed to all athletic directors and teacher athletic trainers in North Carolina high schools. Of the 821 surveys sent, 303 were returned (a response rate of 37%). The sample was grouped into three categories on the basis of the perceived role of the respondent: coach (n = 152), trainer (n = 91), and dual coach-trainer (n = 29). Thirty-one individuals who indicated that they held administrative positions with little or no contact with students were omitted from the analysis. One-way analysis of variance or X2 was used to examine differences in questionnaire responses among the three groups. In comparison with high school coaches, trainers had taken more workshops or courses related to nutrition (2.9 compared with 1.8) and had more frequently used professional meetings (62% vs 39%), workshops (64% vs 41%), and textbooks (75% vs 50%) as sources of information. Trainers were more knowledgeable about nutrition (9.6 correct responses vs 8.9 for coaches) and recommended desirable nutrition practices more often than coaches (7 of 9 vs 6 of 9). There was some disagreement between coaches and trainers in their perceptions of who was more important in dispensing nutrition information. Future nutrition education efforts should take into account the differences among these groups.