Nutritional Habits of Physical Education Department Students Engaged in Different Sport Branches

The purpose of this study was to examine the nutritional habits of students engaged in different sport branches that attending Physical Education and Sports High School. Total 219 female (age; 20,75 ±0,14 years), and 367 male athletes (age; 21,62±0,12 years) participated the study as a volunteer. To determine the nutritional levels a questionnaire containing 37 items was applied. The nutritional scores were determined according to being an elite or non-elite, and according to the sports branch. For statistical analysis Student-t test, One Way ANOVA and Tukey tests were used. According to the used questionnaire, the nutritional scores were found low in both elite and non-elite athletes but it’s determined that female athletes were well-nourished than males (p 0,01). Female swimmers have better nutritional habits than female track and field athletes (p 0,05). It’s found that females engaged with swimming, gymnastic, judo, volleyball, archery and taekwondo athletes were fed “well”. Between different sports branches significant differences were found in males athletes’ nutritional habit scores (p 0.01 ve p 0,05). While male track and field athletes’ nutrition scores were found “well”, basketball and taekwondo athletes’ scores were found “worse”. As a conclusion nutrition scores of Physical Education and Sports High School students were found low. This situation shows that athletes have faulty dietary habits. Athletes and coaches must be supplied with nutritional education according to sports branch, and stressing the importance of this issue in written and visual media is thought to be very useful.