Effect of Sport Nutrition
Education in High School
Students from Low-Income
Communities
Jeffrey C. Little, MS, RD
Stella L. Volpe, PhD, RD, FACSM
Department of Nutrition
Outline
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Introduction
Literature Review
Statement of the Problem
Significance of the Study
Purpose of the Study
Outline
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Study Design
Statistical Analyses
Results
Conclusion
Future Research Implications
Adolescent Nutrition
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Nutritional requirements during
adolescence
Changes in eating habits during
adolescence
(Mitchell, Nutrition Across the Life Span,
Philadelphia, PA. W.B. Saunders, 1997)
Adolescent Nutrition
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Factors effecting adolescent food
choices
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Perceived body image
Social & cultural differences
Eating under time constraints
Lack of family guidance
Peer pressure
Mass media
Nutrition education
(Mitchell, Nutrition Across the Life Span, Philadelphia, PA.
W.B. Saunders, 1997)
Nutrition Knowledge
Douglas & Douglas, 1984
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940 high school student-athletes in
Connecticut
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48-question survey
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Mean score 26.4 (55%)
Emphasized the need for further
nutrition education in adolescents
(JADA, 84(10): 1198-1202, 1984)
Nutrition Knowledge
Skinner & Woodburn, 1984
 1,193 high school adolescents in Oregon
 Mean correct score of 39.4%
 Reported a general lack of nutrition
knowledge in these students
(JOSH, 54: 71-74, 1984)
Nutrition Knowledge
Perry-Hunnicut & Newman, 1993
th
th
 3,632 8 and 10 grade high school
students throughout the United States
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13-item questionnaire
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National Adolescent Student Health Survey
Mean score of 6.1 and 6.5 for males and
females, respectively
High school students do not posses
appropriate nutrition knowledge
Nutrition Status in
Communities of Low-Income
Dietary Quality
 Healthy Eating Index (HEI)
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10 Components of a healthy diet
Positive relationship with level of education
and income
African-Americans score lowest
(Family Economics & Nutrition Review, 12(2): 39-43, 1999)
Nutrition Status in
Communities of Low-Income
Food Insufficiency
 NHANES III (1988 – 1994)
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Insufficiency prevalence rate of 4.1%
Poverty status
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In 1994, 38 million Americans at or below
the poverty level
(Alaimo et al., AJPH, 88(3): 419-426, 1998)
Nutrition Status in
Communities of Low-Income
Educational Differences
 Disproportionate balance of educational
resources
 Budget restraints
 Lower enrollment rates
 Increased drop out rates
Nutrition Intervention in
Communities of Low-Income
Hartman et al. (1997)
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Intervention study on 134 low-literacy, adult
participants (EFNEP) in Twin Cities
 Low-fat eating patterns
 Pre- and Post-test questionnaire
 10 educational sessions
Results indicate the effectiveness of producing
statistically significant, intervention-related
behavior changes in low-income adults
Nutrition Knowledge of Adolescents
in Communities of Low-Income
Thakur & D’Amico (1999)
 20-question survey to 292 high school
students in 3 separate Philadelphia schools
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Schools 1 and 2 lower to middle SES
School 3 predominately middle SES
Examined nutrition knowledge, food
preferences, and food-related behaviors
towards obesity
Nutrition Knowledge of Adolescents
in Communities of Low-Income
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Results indicated an overall poor
level of nutrition knowledge
Significant differences by SES in
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Identifying energy requirements
Identifying high-fat foods
Recommended servings for fruit and
vegetables
(Family Medicine, 31: 122-127, 1999)
Nutrition Knowledge of Adolescents
in Communities of Low-Income
Beech et al., 1999
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22-question nutrition knowledge survey
in the New Orleans area
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2,213 high school students
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Mean overall correct score was 39%
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Significant ethnic differences (p < 0.001)
Overall low scores consistent with
previous studies indicating a general
lack of nutrition knowledge among
adolescents
(JOAH, 24: 244-250, 1999)
Sport Supplements
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Popular within society
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Billion dollar industry
Use among adolescents is increasing
Few studies conducted regarding
knowledge of sport supplements
among adolescents
(Levin, AOIM, 131(3): 161-164, 1999)
Adolescent Supplement Knowledge
Krowchuck et al., 1989
 Survey of 295 high school studentathletes in the greater Cleveland area
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use and attitudes towards nutrition
supplements
Students require appropriate
information on the efficacy and risks
involved with sport supplements
(Sports Medicine, 143: 486-489, 1989)
Adolescent Supplement Knowledge
Massad et al., 1995
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Supplement knowledge in Indiana high
school students (n = 507)
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Mean score out of 21
 13.3 (62.5%) for males (n = 302)
 14.2 (67.1%) for females (n = 205)
Low scores indicate a need for additional
sport supplement education in high school
students
(IJSN, 5: 232-245, 1995)
Nutrition and Supplement Knowledge of
Adolescents in Low-income Communities
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Adolescents in low-income communities
 receive less educational resources and
support
 limited assessment of nutrition
knowledge
 no research conducted on sport
supplement knowledge
(Armstrong & Welsman, Young People & Physical Activity,
Oxford: Oxford University Press,1997)
Statement of the Problem
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Adolescents who are not properly
educated in nutrition will make less
healthy choices and their diets may
be compromised
In doing so, they may begin to form
poor eating habits which can result in
chronic disease when they become
adults
Statement of the Problem
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Sport supplement knowledge of
adolescents is insufficient and
education is limited to higher
income communities
Statement of the Problem
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Adolescents who are limited in their
basic nutrition knowledge do not
possess the ability to decipher which
supplements are appropriate to
consume, which may be potentially
harmful, and which can be easily
attained through their diet
Significance of the Study
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Only study to date that has assessed
the use of sport supplements in a
low-income community
First study to assess sport
supplement knowledge after
educational intervention
Significance of the Study
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Will provide these adolescents
who may be susceptible to
inappropriate outside sources of
nutrition and sport supplement
information, with the most up-todate information on the efficacy
and risks associated with the use
of sport supplements
Significance of the Study
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Provide adolescents from a lowincome community with necessary
information to enhance their growth
and development through proper
nutrition
Purpose
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The purpose of this study was to
assess the effect of a sport nutrition
education curricula on the sport
nutrition knowledge of high school
students in a low-income
community
Study Design
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Included 50 subjects from a high school
in a low-income community
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North Star Academy (NSA)
50% of entire student body enrolled in
National School Lunch Program
Students were assigned to either
experimental or control group
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According to NSA class schedule
Investigator attempted an even distribution
Methodology
Week One
Pre-Test
Questionnaire
Week Two Week Three Week Four
Week Five
Session 1
Session 4 Session 5
Session 2
Session 3
Week Seven
Post-Test
Questionnaire
Week Six
Methodology
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Questionnaire
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Validated by Massad and Shier (1993)
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Internal consistency r = 0.78
Permission for use granted by Massad et
al. (1995)
 Updated with 7 additional questions by
present investigator
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Methodology
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5 Educational lessons
 Carbohydrates, Fats, & Proteins
 Vitamins, Minerals & Water
 Protein Supplements & Creatine
Monohydrate
 Fat-Burning Supplements
 Steroid-Alternative Supplements
Statistical Analyses
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Post-hoc power estimation
Power
86%
94%
98%
Sample Size*
30
40
50
*Actual sample size was 39
Statistical Analyses
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Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance
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SPSS version 10.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL
p-value was set a priori at 0.05
Any questions where > 80% of the
students scored correctly at pre-test
were not included in analyses
Statistical Analyses
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Two-tailed paired T-test
Chi-square analyses
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Mean differences pre- to pos-test
Gender
 High school class level
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