Toward promoting performance nutrition behaviors among tactical athletes: a mixed methods study

Area of Science:

• Sports Nutrition
• Military Health
• Dietary Assessment

Background:

• Tactical athletes, including army recruits, require optimal nutrition for health and performance.
• Suboptimal energy and carbohydrate intakes are common in this population.
• Causes of poor dietary intake in tactical athletes remain under-researched.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the dietary intakes of Australian Army infantry trainees.
• To explore trainees' beliefs, barriers, and self-efficacy concerning performance nutrition.
• To apply the Health Belief Model (HBM) to understand dietary behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Recruited participants from a 17-week Australian Army Infantry Initial Employment Training (IET) program.
• Assessed self-reported dietary intakes during weeks 1 and 17 of training.
• Conducted four focus groups to explore nutrition-related beliefs and barriers.

Main Results:

• Mean daily energy intake increased from 7864 kJ to 9084 kJ from week 1 to week 17.
• Carbohydrate intake increased from 1.8 g/kg to 2.2 g/kg, while protein intake remained stable at 1.5 g/kg.
• Focus group data revealed themes related to Cues to Action, Perceived Barriers, and Self-Efficacy within the HBM framework.

Conclusions:

• Limited time, restricted access to varied healthy foods, and low self-efficacy hinder trainees' nutrition.
• Trainees need enhanced performance nutrition knowledge, particularly for fueling strategies.
• Improved access to diverse healthy food options is crucial for supporting trainee nutrition.