A Qualitative Investigation of Factors Influencing the Dietary Intakes of Professional Australian Football Players

Abstract

(1) Background: Many professional Australian Football (AF) players do not meet recommended sports nutrition guidelines despite having access to nutrition advice. There are a range of factors that can influence players′ ability to meet their nutrition goals and awareness of the barriers players face is essential to ensure that dietary advice translates into practice. Therefore, this qualitative research study aimed to explore the factors influencing AF players’ dietary intakes and food choice. (2) Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve professional male AF players. (3) Results: Less experienced players restricted their carbohydrate intake to meet body composition goals, particularly during preseason and surrounding body composition assessment. During the competition season players had a greater focus on performance and placed more emphasis on carbohydrate intake in the lead up to matches. Players felt nutrition goals were easier to achieve when dietary choices were supported by their families and peers. One-on-one consultations provided by a sports dietitian were players′ preferred mode of nutrition intervention. Individualized nutrition advice is required for less experienced AF players who may be vulnerable to unsustainable dietary habits. Experienced AF players can support junior teammates by promoting positive team culture related to body composition, nutrition and performance.

Athlete Preferences for Nutrition Education: Development of and Findings from a Quantitative Survey

“…Apart from the questions on sports/demographics, all survey questions were developed from scratch. The development of survey topics and questions was heavily informed by the literature, including the use of resources for the development of online surveys [24,25], questionnaire topics used in related research [16,18,19,26,27], and results from earlier investigations of athlete preferences for education in both nutrition [20,21] and other topics (e.g., concussion) [28,29]. Findings and questions from focus groups exploring New Zealand athlete preferences for NE were also used to develop the survey [22].…”

“…Athletes preferred in-person group and one-on-one sessions combined or separately. Qualitative studies found professional Australian footballers who had free access to a sports dietitian preferred one-on-one consultations with a sports dietitian [21], while highly trained/elite athletes from a range of sports in New Zealand preferred in-person group sessions [22]. It was not determined whether the athletes in the study by McCauley [22] had previous access to a sports nutritionist or dietitian.…”

An online exploratory survey of Australian athletes’ and exercisers’ use of and attitudes towards ultra-processed sports foods

“…An earlier review found that coaches, trainers, friends and family were the most commonly used sources of dietary supplement information for athletes ( 44 ) . In other Australian studies, athletes have reported coaches, sports scientists/physicians, dietitians/nutritionists, peers and the internet as sources of nutrition and sports supplement information ( 12 , 29 , 30 , 45 , 46 ) . While it is important to understand who influences athletes’ food choices, few (< 10 %) German endurance athletes were influenced by peers, nutritionists or coaches to consume everyday foods over commercially prepared sports foods ( 37 ) .…”

Comparison of Australian Football League Women's athletes match day energy and nutrient intake to recommendations

“…Factors such as time commitment for food preparation and consumption, and access to professional nutrition support have been reported to influence the dietary intakes of male Australian football athletes. 39 Social interactions with family and peers also contribute. 35 Athletes have reported that time of day (early vs. late matches) and gastrointestinal discomfort are important determinants in food selection around competition.…”