title: Nutritional knowledge of UK coaches.
abstract: Athletes obtain nutritional information from their coaches, yet their competency in this area is lacking. Currently, no research exists in the UK which has a different coach education system to many other countries. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the sports nutrition knowledge of UK coaching certificate (UKCC) level 2 and 3, hockey and netball qualified coaches. All coaches (n = 163) completed a sports nutrition questionnaire to identify: (a) if they provided nutritional advice; (b) their level of sport nutrition knowledge; and (c) factors that may have contributed to their level of knowledge. Over half the coaches provided advice to their athletes (n = 93, 57.1%), even though they were not competent to do so. Coaches responded correctly to 60.3 ± 10.5% of all knowledge questions with no differences between those providing advice and those who did not (p > 0.05). Those coaches who had undertaken formal nutrition training achieved higher scores than those who had not (p < 0.05). In conclusion, UK sports coaches would benefit from continued professional development in sports nutrition to enhance their coaching practice.
authors.affiliation: London Sport Institute, Middlesex University, London NW4 4BT, UK. e.cockburn@mdx.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cockburn
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Tyne and Wear NE1 8ST, UK. alifortune@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Alistair
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fortune
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Tyne and Wear NE1 8ST, UK. marc.a.briggs@northumbria.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Briggs
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Tyne and Wear NE1 8ST, UK. penny.rumbold@northumbria.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Penny
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rumbold
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D052756:Nutritional Sciences / Q000193:education*; D009790:Occupations; D013177:Sports; D064133:Sports Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom; D055815:Young Adult
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