What are You Taking? Sources of Information and Motivation for Nutritional and Performance Enhancement Supplement Use in High School Athletes

Athletes are exposed to numerous nutritional products, attractively marketed with claims of optimizing health, function, and performance. However, there is limited evidence to support many of these claims, and the efficacy and safety of many products is questionable. The variety of nutritional aids considered for use by track-and-field athletes includes sports foods, performance supplements, and therapeutic nutritional aids. Support for sports foods and five evidence-based performance supplements (caffeine, creatine, nitrate/beetroot juice, β-alanine, and bicarbonate) varies according to the event, the specific scenario of use, and the individual athlete’s goals and responsiveness. Specific challenges include developing protocols to manage repeated use of performance supplements in multievent or heat-final competitions or the interaction between several products which are used concurrently. Potential disadvantages of supplement use include expense, false expectancy, and the risk of ingesting banned substances sometimes present as contaminants. However, a pragmatic approach to the decision-making process for supplement use is recommended. The authors conclude that it is pertinent for sports foods and nutritional supplements to be considered only where a strong evidence base supports their use as safe, legal, and effective and that such supplements are trialed thoroughly by the individual before committing to use in a competition setting.

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EFFECTS OF NEUROMUSCULAR TRAINING ON BIOMECHANICAL EFFICIENCY IN HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967120s00148 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (4_suppl3) ◽

pp. 2325967120S0014

Author(s):

Joseph J. Janosky ◽

Brandon Schneider ◽

Daphne Ling ◽

James Russomano ◽

Naomi Roselaar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Lower Extremity ◽

Performance Feedback ◽

Sports Medicine ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Control Group ◽

High School Athletes ◽

Warm Up ◽

Left Lower Extremity ◽

And Performance

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are among the most common and devastating sports-related knee injuries. Neuromuscular training (NMT) has demonstrated efficacy as a preventive intervention for ACL injury and has been associated with improvements in measures of sports performance, but the specific physiologic mechanisms that serve as protective factors and contribute to improved performance haven not been well-defined. Hypothesis/Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between NMT and biomechanical efficiency among high school athletes. We hypothesized that the performance of NMT is associated with improved biomechanical efficiency during the performance of fundamental movements and agility tests when compared to a group of untrained control subjects. Methods: Eight high school soccer and basketball teams (111 athletes, 53.1% male, mean age 15.6 years) were recruited and assigned to either an intervention or control group. The intervention group performed NMT as part of their warm-up prior to each practice and competition for 12 weeks. NMT was administered by experienced sports medicine clinicians who provided exercise instruction, technique cues, and performance feedback throughout each training session. The control group performed their customary warm-up under the direction of the team’s coaches. Biomechanical efficiency was assessed through performance of static and dynamic tests using an FDA-approved wireless sensor system. Agility was assessed using a timed three-cone agility test. All tests were administered immediately prior to and following each competitive sports season. Results: Matched pre-/post-season data was collected from 74 athletes (67%). Significant improvements [point estimate (95% CI) p-value] were observed in the intervention group for left lower extremity [0.25 (0.06,0.45) p = 0.01] and right lower extremity [0.21 (0.05,0.37) p = 0.01] loading/landing speed ratios during a single leg hop test, left lower extremity [-136.34 (-225.74,-46.95) p = 0.003] and right lower extremity [-110 (-211.36,-8.64) p = 0.03] ground reaction force, left lower extremity [-1.03, (-.189,-0.18) p = 0.02] and right lower extremity [-0.94 (-1.73,-0.14) p = 0.02] initial peak acceleration, and cadence [-12.12 (-21.60,-2.65) p = 0.01] during a straight-line running acceleration/deceleration test, and time [0.51 (0.24,0.78) p = 0.0003] during a three-cone agility test. Conclusion: Results demonstrate that season-long, sport-specific, age-appropriate NMT administered by sports medicine clinicians can significantly improve biomechanical efficiency during the performance of fundamental movements and agility tests by high school athletes. To achieve similar results, sports coaches should be trained to provide exercise instruction, technique cues, and performance feedback when administering NMT in real-world settings. [Table: see text][Table: see text]

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Widespread Supplement Intake and Use of Poor Quality Information in Elite Adolescent Swiss Athletes

International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism ◽

10.1123/ijsnem.2021-0043 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Samuel Mettler ◽

Georgette Lehner ◽

Gareth Morgan

Keyword(s):

Vitamin C ◽

Large Scale ◽

Information Quality ◽

Female Athletes ◽

Performance Enhancement ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Adolescent Athletes ◽

Health Maintenance ◽

Supplement Use ◽

Supplement Intake

Compared with adult athletes, rather little is known about supplementation behavior in adolescent athletes. This study’s aim was to determine elite adolescent athletes’ supplement use and sources of information relating thereto. A total of 430 (87%) of 496 questioned athletes returned the anonymized questionnaire. Thereof, 84% consumed at least one weekly supplement and 97% indicated some supplement intake during the previous 4 weeks. On average, 13.3 supplement servings were consumed per week. The 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile was 4.5, 10.5, and 20.0 servings per week, with a maximum of 67. The most prevalent supplements in use were multimineral products (41% of all athletes), multivitamins (34%), Vitamin C (34%), and Vitamin D (33%). Male athletes consumed significantly more Vitamin C and D, sports drinks, protein powder, and recovery products compared with female athletes; whereas, women consumed more iron supplements. The three most important motives for supplement use were recovery support (40%), health maintenance (39%), and performance enhancement (30%). The most frequent answers to the question “who recommended that you use supplements” were family/friends (36%), a physician (27%), and a trainer/coach (25%). The main three information sources about the supplements in use were the persons who recommended the supplementation (56%), the internet (25%), and information provided by supplement suppliers (11%). A positive doping attitude was associated with the consumption of performance enhancing supplements (p = .017). In conclusion, this study among elite adolescent Swiss athletes indicates a widespread and large-scale use of dietary supplements, which was associated with a low level of information quality.

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Research on Dietary Supplement Use by Japanese High School Students

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzab045_032 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 650-650

Author(s):

Fumi Hoshino ◽

Arisa Kojima ◽

Ayaka Yano ◽

Haruna Yamamoto ◽

Saya Natsui ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

High School Students ◽

Vitamin C ◽

Dietary Supplements ◽

Common Source ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

School Students ◽

Supplement Use ◽

The Past ◽

Niigata Prefecture

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate the availability of information on dietary supplements as well as their use among high school students in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It also aimed to clarify the relationship between dietary awareness and the use of dietary supplements. Methods The survey was conducted online using Google Forms and asked about sex, age, height, weight, experience with supplements (current use, past use, or never used any use), types of supplements used, sources of information about supplements, and eating habits. The survey was conducted in high schools in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, in September 2020. The study was approved by the ethics committee of the Niigata University of Health and Welfare. Statistical analysis was conducted using R version 4.0.2 (2020–06-22), and comparisons between the two groups were made using the t test or χ² test with a significance level of 5%. Results A total of 317 subjects were analyzed, including 151 (47.6%) boys and 166 (52.4%) girls. Thirty-seven boys and 21 girls currently used supplements, while 32 boys and 29 girls used supplements in the past. The percentage of boys using supplements (currently or in the past) was 45.6%, which was significantly higher than that of girls (30.1%) (P = 0.004). The most commonly used supplements for boys were protein (57), vitamin C (22), and amino acids (19) and for girls were vitamin C (29), iron (15), and protein (13). The most common reason among boys for using supplements was “for muscle building” (n = 41, 59.4%) and among girls was “for diet and beauty” (n = 26, 52.0%). The most common source of information about supplements was the family, followed by the internet and social media. Girls who used supplements were clearly highly conscious about eating (P = 0.048). Conclusions Among Japanese high school students, boys had more experience using dietary supplements than girls. Female students who used supplements were more conscious, rather than neglectful, of their diet. Funding Sources Individual research expenses at Niigata University of Health and Welfare.

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Sources of Information Underlying Personal Ability Judgments in High School Athletes

Pediatric Exercise Science ◽

10.1123/pes.5.3.263 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 263-274 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Thelma S. Horn ◽

Susan D. Glenn ◽

Amy B. Wentzell

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Use Of Self ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

High School Athletes ◽

Evaluative Feedback ◽

Gender And Age ◽

Age And Gender Differences ◽

Sport Competence ◽

Internal Information ◽

And Gender

This study was conducted to test whether there are age and gender differences in the criteria that high school athletes use to evaluate their ability in sport contexts. To test this issue, 435 high school athletes from a variety of sports were administered the Sport Competence information Questionnaire which provides a measure of preference for 10 competence information sources. A 2 × 2 (Gender × Age Level) MANOVA revealed that older adolescents were more apt to use self-comparison/internal information, goal achievement, and sport attraction/enjoyment to judge their sport ability while younger athletes were more dependent on the evaluation of peers. In addition, females scored higher than males on the use of self-comparison/internal information and on evaluative feedback from significant others. In contrast, males scored higher on the use of competitive outcomes and speed/ease of learning to evaluate personal sport competence. The results indicate that high school athletes do vary in the sources of information they use to judge their sport competence, and that gender and age can account for a significant amount of that variation.

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Beliefs and Information Sources of High School Athletes Regarding Muscle Development

Pediatric Exercise Science ◽

10.1123/pes.5.4.377 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 377-382

Author(s):

Leonard Marquart ◽

Jeffery Sobal

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Muscle Development ◽

Genetic Factors ◽

Information Sources ◽

Accurate Information ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

High School Athletes ◽

Rural County

This study examined the beliefs and sources of information regarding muscle development among 742 high school athletes in one rural county. About 40% of the athletes stated that muscle development was very important and 50% said it was somewhat important. Most of them recognized the dangers of steroids but still thought these were important in muscle development. A majority also thought nutritional and genetic factors were important. Physicians were seen as providing the most accurate information about muscle development, followed by coaches and trainers. Understanding the athletes’ beliefs and information sources about muscle development may be useful in dispelling misconceptions and providing education on the topic.

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Identification of Neuromusculoskeletal Variables Associated With Injury Risk and Performance in High School Athletes.

Case Medical Research ◽

10.31525/ct1-nct04095260 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Injury Risk ◽

High School Athletes ◽

And Performance

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Doping in sport: Attitudes, beliefs and knowledge of competitive high school athletes in Gauteng Province

South African Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.17159/2413-3108/2014/v26i3a103 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 81

Author(s):

Kim Nolte ◽

B J M Steyn ◽

P E Krüger ◽

L Fletcher

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Quantitative Research ◽

High Performance ◽

Survey Study ◽

Research Approach ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

High School Athletes ◽

Gauteng Province ◽

Performance Enhancing Drugs ◽

Changing Attitudes

Objective. To determine the attitudes, beliefs and knowledge of talented young athletes residing in Gauteng regarding prohibited performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) and anti-doping rules and regulations.Methods. This was a survey study using a quantitative research approach. South African TuksSport academy athletes at the High Performance Centre, University of Pretoria, and competitive high-school athletes at four private high schools in Gauteng completed the survey. A selfdetermined, structured questionnaire was used to establish the attitudes, beliefs and knowledge of the athletes.Results. A total of 346 (208 males, 138 females) athletes, mean (standard deviation) age 16.9 (1.4) years participated in the survey. According to this survey, 3.9% of the athletes in this survey admitted to using a prohibited PED and more than 14.0% of the athletes said they would consider using a prohibited PED if they knew they would not get caught. Ambition (46.0%) and emotional pressure (22.5%) were the primary reasons why the athletes would consider using prohibited PEDs. Even though coaches appeared to be one of the main sources of information (on PEDs and anti-doping rules), only 42.1% of the athletes felt that they were well informed.Conclusion. Controlling doping by means of testing is important. However, it may be necessary to put more emphasis on changing attitudes towards doping and implementing additional educational programmes.

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