Examining the Influence of Sports Nutrition Counseling on Collegiate Athletes

This study explored the influence of nutrition counseling provided by registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) on collegiate athletes’ dietary behaviors, knowledge, and perceptions of nutrition. A mixed-methods approach was employed, incorporating qualitative interviews with 15 athletes from six sports across four schools. Participants reflected on their counseling experiences, focusing on its impact on their nutritional habits, health, and athletic performance. Quantitative data, including a one-sample t-test on recommendation scores, revealed a mean score of 6.73 (SD = 0.46) on a 7-point scale, indicating consistently high satisfaction with nutrition counseling. Thematic analysis identified five themes: Influence of Counseling, Behavioral Changes, Self-Reported Understanding of Nutrition, Value of Recommending Counseling, and Areas for Improvement. Subthemes encompassed topics such as improved health and performance, behavioral influences, sports-specific nutrition knowledge, and the need for advanced, individualized counseling. Participants emphasized the importance of nutrition in athletic performance, highlighting counseling’s role in improving hydration, meal planning, and supplement use. Findings suggest that nutrition counseling is highly valued by collegiate athletes and supports their health and performance. The findings for Areas of Improvement suggest that counseling can be enhanced by tailoring it to individual needs, offering more advanced counseling sessions, and addressing accessibility barriers for athletes. Implications for research and practice are discussed, aiming to enhance the delivery of RDN-led counseling and effectively meet the specific needs of collegiate athletes.