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Reliable and valid assessment of sports nutrition knowledge can inform athlete nutrition education to address knowledge gaps. This study aimed to test the reliability and validity of an electronically administered sports nutrition knowledge tool – Platform to Evaluate Athlete Knowledge of Sports Nutrition Questionnaire (PEAKS-NQ). A 94-item PEAKS-NQ was piloted to 149 developmental athletes (DA) in New Zealand, with a subset invited to complete the PEAKS-NQ again to evaluate reliability. Reliability was evaluated using Sign Tests and intraclass correlation, and internal consistency by Cronbach’s α (≥0.8 is good). Australian accredited sports dietitians (ASD; n=255) were invited to complete the PEAKS-NQ to establish construct validity via known-groups methodology and provide relevance scores to determine the scale content validity index (S-CVI). Rasch analysis was conducted on combined DA and ASD data to identify potentially problematic items and test reliability. Score differences between DA and ASD were analysed using independent t or non-parametric tests. DA (n=88) were 17.8±1.4y, 61.4% female, and mostly in high school (94.3%). ASD (n=45) were 37.8±7.6y, 82.2% female, with >5 years of dietetic experience (59.1%). ASD scored higher than DA in all sections and overall (91.5±3.4% vs. 67.1±10.5%) (p<0.001). There were no differences between re-tests (n=18; p=0.14). Cronbach’s α was 0.86. S-CVI indicated good content validity (0.88). Refinement by Rasch analysis resulted in a 50-item PEAKS-NQ with very good item and person reliability (0.91 and 0.92 respectively). PEAKS-NQ is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing sports nutrition knowledge which could assist practitioners effectively tailor and evaluate nutrition education.

Nutrition education programs for athletes aim to enhance nutrition knowledge and more importantly support positive dietary change to enhance performance, health and well-being. This systematic review assessed changes in the dietary intakes of athletes in response to nutrition education programs. A search was conducted which included studies providing quantitative dietary intake assessment of athletes of any calibre aged between 12-65y in response to a nutrition education program. Standardized differences (effect sizes) were calculated (when possible) for each dietary parameter. The search yielded 6285 papers with 22 studies (974 participants (71.9% female)) eligible for inclusion. Studies described athletes competing at high school (n=3) through to college level or higher (n=19). Study designs were either single-arm with an intervention only group (12 studies; n=241) or double-arm including an intervention and control group (10 studies; n=689). No control groups received an alternative or ‘sham’ intervention. Face-to-face lectures (9/22) and individual nutrition counselling (6/22) were the most common education interventions. Non-weighed, three-day diet records (10/22) were the most frequently utilised dietary assessment method. Although 14/22 studies (n=5 single and n=9 double) reported significant change in at least one nutrition parameter, dietary changes were inconsistent. Poor study quality and heterogeneity of methods prohibits firm conclusions regarding overall intervention success or superior types of educational modalities. Of note, carbohydrate intakes ‘post-intervention’ when assessed often failed to meet recommended guidelines (12/17 studies). Given the substantial investment made in nutrition education interventions with athletes, there is a need for well-designed and rigorous research to inform future best practice.

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Aims: To evaluate the nutrition knowledge of elite Australian athletes, and to obtain feedback from sports dietitians on the Platform to Evaluate Athlete Knowledge of Sports Nutrition Questionnaires' (PEAKS-NQ) suitability.Methods: Sports dietitians from the National Institute Network across Australia recruited athletes to complete the online, 50-item PEAKS-NQ which contained two sections (General Nutrition and Sports Nutrition). Sports dietitians provided feedback on the PEAKS-NQ using a 14-item questionnaire (with two open-ended items). The main outcome measures were nutrition knowledge score and tool suitability (usefulness, acceptability and feasibility) scores.For knowledge scores, independent t-tests, ANOVA and Chi-square tests were used to evaluate differences between groups. Suitability was evaluated using descriptive statistics.Results: Twelve sports dietitians from the National Institute Network in Australia recruited a convenience sample of 240 athletes (21.3 ± 4.3 years, 63.5% female, 63.3% competed internationally). Athletes scored 70.7 ± 10.5%, with better general vs sports nutrition knowledge. Females had higher overall scores (P < .001) with no differences for age or sport played. Universityeducated athletes scored higher than non-tertiary educated athletes (P = .004). Knowledge gaps were identified in fats (role and food sources), recovery nutrition and managing body composition. Sports dietitians rated suitability of PEAKS-NQ positively with complete agreement on 8 of 12 items.Conclusions: Athletes have greater understanding of general nutrition compared to sports nutrition concepts and may benefit from education on applying nutrition in sports-specific contexts. Sports dietitians' responses showed PEAKS-NQ was a highly acceptable, feasible and useful measure.

While athletes’ nutrient intakes have been widely reported, few studies have assessed the diet quality of athletes. This is the first study to evaluate the diet quality of athletes using the purpose-built Athlete Diet Index (ADI). A convenience sample of 165 elite athletes from Australian sporting institutions completed the ADI online, with subsequent automated results provided to their respective accredited sports dietitians (ASDs). At the completion of athlete participation, ASDs (n = 12) responded to a range of survey items using a Likert scale (i.e., 1 = strongly agree to 5 = strongly disagree) to determine the suitability of the ADI in practice. Differences in ADI scores for demographics and sport-specific variables were investigated using independent t-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni multiple comparisons. Spearman’s rank correlation was used to assess the association between total scores and demographics. The mean total ADI score was 91.4 ± 12.2 (range 53–117, out of a possible 125). While there was no difference in total scores based on demographics or sport-specific variables; team sport athletes scored higher than individual sport athletes (92.7 vs. 88.5, p < 0.05). Athletes training fewer hours (i.e., 0–11 h/week) scored higher on Dietary Habits sub-scores compared with athletes training more hours (≥12 h/week; p < 0.05), suggesting that athletes who train longer may be at risk of a compromised dietary pattern or less than optimal nutrition practices that support training. Most (75%) ASDs surveyed strongly agreed with the perceived utility of the ADI for screening athletes and identifying areas for nutrition support, confirming its suitability for use in practice.