Competitive athletes have goals to optimize performance and to maintain healthy body composition. Sports nutrition is a component of training programs often overlooked by student-athletes and their coaches. The purpose of this study was to examine student-athletes' sports nutrition knowledge across sex, class level, team, and completion of prior nutrition coursework. Participants included 123 mid-major Division I university student-athletes (47 females and 76 males) from baseball, softball, men's soccer, track and field, and tennis. The student-athletes completed a survey questionnaire to determine adequate sports nutrition knowledge (mean ≥ 75%). The overall mean sports nutrition knowledge score for the student-athletes was 56.9% which was considered inadequate sports nutrition knowledge (mean < 75%). Only 12 student-athletes achieved adequate sports nutrition knowledge score of 75% or higher. There were no differences by sex, class level, team, and completion of prior nutrition coursework. Student-athletes' inadequate sports nutrition knowledge may place them at nutrition risk, lead to impaired performance, and affect their lean body mass and energy levels. Athletics personnel should not assume student-athletes have adequate sports nutrition knowledge. Athletic departments may make available a board certified Sports Dietitian or Registered Dietitian and offer classroom or online courses facilitating student-athletes to optimize nutrition knowledge and behaviors.

Ghareeb, DM, McLaine, AJ, Wojcik, JR, and Boyd, JM. Effects of two warm-up programs on balance and isokinetic strength in male high school soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 31(2): 372-379, 2017-One of the most common warm-up programs used to prevent injury in soccer, FIFA11+, integrates aerobic, strength, and balance. The purpose of this study was to compare FIFA11+ to a new warm-up program (NWP) on balance and isokinetic strength of the quadriceps and hamstrings at 60, 180, and 300°·s in male high school soccer players. Participants at one school (n = 17) performed the NWP before practice for 6 weeks during one soccer season, whereas participants at another school (n = 17) performed FIFA11+. There were no differences at baseline. At posttest, players in NWP significantly improved (p < 0.01) in Overall Stability Index Balance, Anterior/Posterior Index Balance, and Medial Lateral Index with large effect sizes (ES) > 1.3. No changes were seen in FIFA11+. Isokinetic strength peak torque increased at 60°·s in the quadriceps and hamstrings in dominant and nondominant legs in NWP (p < 0.01, ES, 0.59-1.02) and in hamstrings in FIFA11+ (p ≤ 0.05, ES, 0.32-0.40). At 180°·s, NWP improved peak torque (p < 0.01, ES, 0.74-0.90) except hamstrings in the nondominant leg, whereas FIFA11+ showed improvements across all muscle groups (p < 0.01), but with smaller ES, 0.25-0.84. Both programs improved isokinetic peak torque at 300°·s except hamstrings in the nondominant leg in NWP, although ES were higher in NWP (ES, 0.60-1.03) than FIFA11+ (ES, 0.31-0.42). The NWP seems to be effective for soccer conditioning by improving balance and isokinetic strength.

For many people, the influence of believing in a higher power can elicit powerful effects. This study examined the relationship between God control, health locus of control, and frequency of religious attendance within 838 college students through online surveys. Regression analysis showed that chance and external locus of control and frequency of religious attendance were significant and positive predictors of God Locus of Health Control. The association of powerful others external locus of control and God Locus of Health Control differed by race (stronger in non-Whites than Whites) and somewhat by gender (stronger in women than men). For some people, the role of a supreme being, or God, should be considered when designing programs for improving health behaviors.

ATHLETES AND COACHES ARE AWARE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF ADEQUATE NUTRITION FOR ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE; HOWEVER, MOST LACK ADEQUATE NUTRITION KNOWLEDGE. ATHLETES EXPRESS INTEREST IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT NUTRITION FOR PERFORMANCE BUT CONSISTENTLY CONSULT SOURCES WITH LITTLE NUTRITION KNOWLEDGE. SPORTS DIETITIANS CAN ASSIST ATHLETES IN MEETING NUTRITION NEEDS BUT ARE OFTEN UNDERUTILIZED FOR ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE. THIS ARTICLE DISCUSSES THE CURRENT NEEDS OF ATHLETES, DIFFERENCES IN NUTRITION TITLES, CURRENT STATE OF SPORTS DIETITIANS, AND THE BENEFIT OF USING A SPORTS DIETITIAN.

The aim of this research was to examine whether self-efficacy, social support, congregational social support, or divine support mediate the relationship between college students’ religious/spiritual health locus of control and health behaviors of physical activity, fruit and vegetable intake, and dietary fat intake. Participants included 838 college students at two public universities in the southeastern United States that completed online surveys of God locus of health control, physical activity, fruit and vegetable intake, and dietary fat and self-efficacy, social support, congregational social support, and divine support. Mediation was tested with product of coefficients approach. Results showed that congregational social support mediated the relationship between God locus of health control and physical activity. There was no evidence of mediation for any of the other health behaviors or mediators. Individuals that utilize God as a health source for locus of control have higher perceived religious social coping and support, which relates to their physical activity behaviors. Implications are for health and fitness practitioners within settings that incorporate faith, congregations, and social interaction.

IntroductionThe psychological factors that contribute to, or inhibit, a successful athletic performance continue to be an area of interest in the application of sport psychology. Research into these factors creates an understanding as to what psychological processes occur within sport performance. Investigations into the controllability of sport performance have used different variables, some more applicable than others. One factor of heightened interest is the state of flow in athletes, specifically its relationship to quality athletic performance. Csikszentmihalyi (1990) described flow as a state in which people are so immersed in an activity that nothing else matters. Often, flow is described as "being in the zone." Athletes desire to experience the state of flow because it is an "intrinsically rewarding" experience (Csikszentmihalyi 1990), and although it is found to occur most frequently in elite athletes, flow can occur across all levels of skill (Bakker, Oerlemans, Demerouti, Slot, & Ali 2011). Jackson and Marsh (1996) further describe the flow state as a situation where personal skills equal or exceed the required challenges of the sport, and this experience is perceived as enjoyable, free from distractions, and typically leads to an overall good performance. Despite the interest in flow, there is still a need to understand how flow may differ between individual and team sport athletes because there is little research comparing flow experiences between individual and team athletes.

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