Evaluation of dietary and anthropometric profiles of female soccer athletes in South Africa

Female soccer sport is gaining popularity in some parts of South Africa. However, the dietary and anthropometric profiles of these athletes remain unknown. A correlational study design was conducted to evaluate the dietary and anthropometric profiles of 45 female soccer athletes in the Mankweng township. Ethical approval was obtained from the Turfloop Research Ethics Committee while athletes gave consent in a written form before participation in the study. The multiple 24-hour-recall Questionnaires were used to collect the dietary intake of the participants. Weight and height were measured to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI) using the electronic scale and stadiometer respectively, while body fat percentage (BF%) was measured using the bioelectrical impedance scale. Dietary data were loaded into SAMRC Food Finder (e-version) and the mean nutrient intake was considered. All data were then analysed descriptively through the SPSS (v-28) software. Pearson’s coefficient correlation tests were conducted and a p-value of 0.05 was a criterion on which variables were significant to each other. Results were compared to recommendations. The majority - 64% and 53% had optimal BMI (22.7±3.0kg/m2) and BF% (24.0±6.0%) respectively. All athletes consumed energy (26.5±6.0kcal/kg/day) and CHO (4.0±1.0 g/kg/day) suboptimally while half or more consumed protein (1.2±0.1g/kg/day) and fat (0.6±0.2g/kg/day) optimal. Dietary practices before training complied with sports nutrition recommendations while those during and after training deviated. BMI correlated (p0.05) with macronutrient intake. Anthropometric and dietary profiles also correlated (p0.05) with some sociodemographic characteristics. The dietary practices of female soccer athletes were imbalanced while their anthropometry was optimal.