NUTRITION KNOWLEDGE AMONG ADOLESCENT HIGH-SCHOOL FEMALE ATHLETES

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an origi nal sports nutrition education program in changing the nutrition behav ior of the female high school varsity football teams of the Baseline L eague of Southern California. A total of 72 subjects from eight teams were randomly divided into two groups, control and experimental. Only the experimental group received nutrition education. Dietary habits of the athletes were studied through a pre- and post- 24-hour recall. A comparison of pretest scores of both groups showed no significant diff erence in level of nutrition knowledge. The posttest scores obtained a fter nutrition education showed a significant difference in nutrition knowledge for the experimental group. However, there was no significan t improvement in dietary intake and food choices due to the limited du ration of the study.