Researchers develop tool to assess athlete diet

Researchers develop tool to assess athlete diet

Researchers from Massey University and the University of Sydney are working together to develop a tool to assess the quality of dietary intake in high-performing athletes.

An athlete’s diet can impact his/her performance so it is important to assess dietary intake accurately. The Athlete Diet Index (ADI) study will investigate how well a new dietary assessment tool measures the dietary intake of high-performing athletes compared to more traditional assessment tools such as food records.

The study is being conducted by Master of Science (Human Nutrition and Dietetics) student Rachel Blair, her supervisor, Dr Kathryn Beck from Massey’s School of Food and Nutrition, and Dr Helen O’Connor, a senior lecturer and sports dietitian in the discipline of Exercise and Sport Science, from the University of Sydney.

“The ADI takes just 10 to 15 minutes to complete and will be a tool that coaches or high-performance managers could use to identify athletes who might benefit from further dietary support. The ADI has been developed in consultation with athletes and leading sports dietitians from New Zealand and Australia,” says Ms Blair.

Researchers want to recruit 100 athletes living in Auckland. Athletes must compete at regional representative level or above for their main sport, and be 16 years or older. Participants will be reimbursed with $40 petrol vouchers on completion of the study.

Athletes will be required to visit Massey’s Auckland campus for a one-hour appointment, where they will complete a training, supplement use and dietary questionnaire, the Athlete Diet Index, and have body composition measurements taken.

The data will be used for research purposes only. Data collected will be confidential. No individual will be identifiable.

Click here for more information on the study.

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