Eleven female participants from a NCAA Division I volleyball team were evaluated for adequate energy and macronutrient intake during two off-seasons. Total energy and macronutrient intake were assessed by food records and results were compared against estimated needs using the Nelson equation. Dietary intervention was employed regarding the individual dietary needs of each athlete as well as a pre- and post-sports nutrition knowledge survey. Post dietary intervention, total energy, and macronutrient intake improved, as well as a significant improvement in sports nutrition knowledge (p < 0.001). Nutrition education is useful in improving dietary intake and nutrition knowledge of female athletes.

Injuries in soccer athletes continues to rise and there is a cause for concern. Collegiate athletes have physically demanding workloads and struggle to sleep an adequate amount each night. A potential association is how sleep could play a role in an athletes’ injury. 24 NCAA DI women’s soccer athletes were utilized during the Fall 2019 season. Athletes self-reported their daily hours slept and the athletic trainer tracked and classified athletes’ injury and illness status: no-injury, medical attention injury, or time loss injury. K-mean clustering was utilized to classify the athletes into 3 groups: injury/illness-free group (n=12), mild-to-moderate injury/illness group (n=7), and heavy injury/illness group (n=5). Sleep was statistically significantly lower in the heavy-injury group than other groups and small effect sizes were detected (d31 = .282, p < .001; d32 = .278, p < .001). Based on the data, it appears hours slept plays a factor in female soccer athletes’ risk of injury.

Previous research suggests that an improvement in body composition could potentially lead to improvement in balance performance in previously overweight individuals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if an exercise intervention without any specific balance training can lead to an improvement in standing balance. Fourteen overweight, but otherwise healthy adults (nine females, six males) (mean age: 23.5 years; mean height: 1.70 m, mean starting body mass: 94.1 kg) participated in this study. Balance performance was assessed with sensory organization test (SOT) and motor control test (MCT) on the NeuroCom^® Equitest™, prior to and after a 10-week exercise intervention. Results revealed significant improvements in the following balance parameters following exercise intervention: eyes open, sway-referenced visual surrounding and platform condition (p = 0.033) for SOT equilibrium scores; SOT center of pressure (COP) sway in the eyes closed condition for anterior-posterior sway velocity (p = 0.006) and in the eyes open sway-referenced condition (p = 0.048). The results of the current study suggest that improved balance performance can result from an exercise intervention without any specific balance directed exercises, but that the results may be limited to the conditions where the somatosensory system plays a larger role in balance maintenance.

Background Niger has one of the lowest exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) rates in the world. Prelacteal feeding practices may contribute to low EBF rates, but research on the barriers related to EBF in Niger is limited. Objective The purpose of this study was to identify socio-cultural determinants for, and barriers to, EBF during an infant’s first 6 months through maternal perspectives in Niamey, the capital of Niger. Methods Participants were mothers with children aged 0 to 24 months in Niamey, Niger. Participants completed an interview including a 20-item questionnaire on socio-demographics, breastfeeding support and knowledge, a short food security survey, and a 24-hour diet recall. Infant anthropometric data (height, weight, upper arm circumference) was collected from patient records. Results All participants (n=31) breastfed and a majority of the mothers were planning to breastfeed until the child reached 18 months old. No mother among the participants practiced EBF for the recommended 6 months because of the common practice of prelacteal feeding, where solid or liquid foods were introduced before 6 months of age. Most participants stated that they were instructed on how to feed their child by a close relative such as their mother or sister, while health professionals rarely gave such instructions. Conclusions Exclusive breastfeeding is not a common practice among mothers in Niamey. Even though many breastfeed their infant for a relatively long duration, the participants disclosed that they often feed their infants solid and liquid foods before they reach the recommended age for complementary feeding, and sometimes within 48 hours after birth. Study results may inform the development of breastfeeding education components in clinics where mothers attend pre and postnatal consultations.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to measure the nutrition knowledge of Army ROTC cadets before and after the implementation of nutrition education sessions presented by a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN), while observing the effectiveness of nutrition intervention on this population.Methods: Army ROTC cadets (n=33; 19+1 years old) from a southeastern university participated in a 9-week study in which they completed a nutrition knowledge survey pre- and post- implementation of six nutrition education sessions. General nutrition knowledge (GNK) and sports nutrition knowledge (SNK) were measured via the Abridged Nutrition for Sport Knowledge Questionnaire (ANSKQ).Results: General, sports, and total nutrition knowledge (TNK) improved significantly between pre-survey and post-survey scores (p < .001; p < .01; p < .001, respectively). Independent samples t-test showed large t-score values (GNK t = -3.559; SNK t = -2.794; TNK t = -3.776), indicating a strong difference between the three groups. Army ROTC cadet ANSKQ scores significantly improved GNK from adequate to good, SNK from poor to adequate, and TNK from poor to adequate.Conclusions: The results of this study indicate nutrition knowledge is poor in ROTC cadets, but may improve from nutrition education interventions presented by an RDN.