Validation of a sports nutrition knowledge questionnaire for athletes in the United Kingdom and Ireland

Journal article


Edmonds, Caitlin, Tam, Ryan, Madigan, Sharon, Gubb, Louise, Beck, Kathryn L., Gifford, Janelle A., Flood, Victoria M., Prvan, Tania, Gemming, Luke N. and O'Connor, Helen. (2023). Validation of a sports nutrition knowledge questionnaire for athletes in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Journal of Nutritional Science. 12, p. Article e2. https://doi.org/10.1017/jns.2022.109
AuthorsEdmonds, Caitlin, Tam, Ryan, Madigan, Sharon, Gubb, Louise, Beck, Kathryn L., Gifford, Janelle A., Flood, Victoria M., Prvan, Tania, Gemming, Luke N. and O'Connor, Helen
Abstract

Sound general and sports nutrition knowledge in athletes is essential for making appropriate dietary choices. Assessment of nutrition knowledge enables evaluation and tailoring of nutrition education. However, few well-validated tools are available to assess nutrition knowledge in athletes. The objective of the present study was to establish the validity of the Platform to Evaluate Athlete Knowledge Sports – Nutrition Questionnaire (PEAKS-NQ) for use in the United Kingdom and Irish (UK-I) athletes. To confirm content validity, twenty-three sports nutritionists (SNs) from elite, UK-I sports institutes provided feedback on the PEAKS-NQ via a modified Delphi method. After minor changes, the UK-I version of the PEAKS-NQ was administered to UK-I SN from the British Dietetic Association Sport and Exercise Nutrition Register, and elite athletes (EA) training at elite sports institutes in the UK and Ireland. Independent samples t-test and independent samples median tests were used to compare PEAKS-NQ total and subsection scores between EA and SN (to assess construct validity). Cronbach's alpha (good ≥ 0⋅7) was used to establish internal consistency. The SN achieved greater overall [SN (n 23) 92⋅3 (9⋅3) v. EA (n 154): 71⋅4 (10⋅0)%; P < 0⋅001] and individual section scores (P < 0⋅001) except Section B, Identification of Food Groups (P = 0⋅07). Largest knowledge differences between SN and EA were in Section D, Applied Sports Nutrition [SN: 88⋅5 (8⋅9) v. EA: 56⋅7 (14⋅5)%; P < 0⋅00]. Overall ES was large (2⋅1), with subsections ranging from 0⋅6 to 2⋅3. Cronbach's alpha was good (0⋅83). The PEAKS-NQ had good content and construct validity, supporting its use to assess nutrition knowledge of UK-I athletes.

Keywordsconstruct validity; general nutrition knowledge; internal consistency; sports nutrition knowledge
Year2023
JournalJournal of Nutritional Science
Journal citation12, p. Article e2
PublisherCambridge University Press
ISSN2048-6790
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1017/jns.2022.109
PubMed ID36721724
Scopus EID2-s2.0-85146143741
PubMed Central IDPMC9869100
Open accessPublished as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
Page range1-7
Publisher's version
License
File Access Level
Open
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online06 Jan 2023
Publication process dates
Deposited31 Mar 2025
Additional information

© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.

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Recent developments in the assessment of nutrition knowledge in athletes
Tam, Ryan, Gifford, Janelle and Beck, Kathryn. (2022). Recent developments in the assessment of nutrition knowledge in athletes. Current Nutrition Reports. 11, pp. 241-252. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13668-022-00397-1