Analysis of Dietary Intake in Professional Female Football Players

Recruiting

• Conditions: Dietary Assessment

• Registration Number: NCT06713954
• Lead Sponsor: University Ramon Llull

Brief Summary

This study evaluates the dietary intake of professional female footballers against nutritional guidelines, analysing differences by age, position, and location (UK vs Spain). Using a cross-sectional design, it will include 20-30 players per club from four clubs, aged 18+, collected via the Snap-N-Send method and analysed with Nutritics software. Variables include energy intake, macronutrients, and micronutrients, with data assessed using MANOVA, t-tests, and Shapiro-Wilk tests. The aim is to determine dietary adequacy and provide insights to improve nutrition education and wellbeing for female athletes.

Detailed Description

The aim of this research is to evaluate the dietary intake of female footballers against established nutritional guidelines, while analysing the variables of age, playing position and location to identify if there is a difference in intake across the groups. The study will employ an observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional research design, focusing on female footballers from professional clubs, specifically two clubs in United Kingdom and two clubs in Spain. There is an anticipated sample size of 20 to 30 participants from each club. Inclusion criteria will be female participants who are professional footballers, aged 18 and older and free of disease. Dependent variables from dietary intake will include energy intake (kcal), energy availability (kcal/kg fat free mass/day), protein (g/day), carbohydrates (g/day), fat (%), vitamin D (mg/day), calcium (mg/day) and iron (mg/day). These will be collected using the scientifically valid Snap-N-Send method and analysed with Nutritics dietary analysis software, which has been validated for assessing macronutrients and micronutrients. Independent variables will consist of age groups, playing positions, and country of origin (England or Spain). Dietary intake will be recorded through WhatsApp, with subsequent data entry and storage in Nutritics. Statistical analyses will include MANOVA, used to compare dietary data among groups, one-sample t-test to test against published recommendations and the Shapiro-Wilk test to assess normality in data distribution. This study aims to assess the adequacy of the players' dietary intake in relation to established nutritional recommendations from different backgrounds and characteristics. Furthermore, practitioners can potentially make informed decisions that improve the nutrition education given to female athletes, which contributes to their overall health and wellbeing.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2024-11-27
• Study First Submitted QC: 2024-11-27
• Status Verified: 2024-12
• Study Start: 2024-12-02
• Study First Posted: 2024-12-03
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-12-03
• Last Update Posted: 2024-12-06
• Primary Completion: 2025-02-01
• Study Completion: 2025-03-01

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: Female
• Target Recruitment: 100

Inclusion Criteria

• Female or assigned female at birth
• Playing football professionally
• At a sub-elite to elite standard
• Above the age of 18
• Healthy and free of disease

Exclusion Criteria

• Active supplementation with ergogenic aids
• Active pregnancy
• No signing of the consent form

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Carbohydrates	From enrollment to the end of assessment of 3 days	Amount of carbohydrates in grams from an average of 3 days
Energy intake	From enrollment to the end of assessment of 3 days	Average of energy intake in calories over 3 days
Protein	From enrollment to the end of assessment of 3 days	Average of protein in grams over 3 days
Fat	From enrollment to the end of assessment of 3 days	Average of percentage of fat over 3 days
Energy availability	From enrollment to the end of assessment of 3 days	Energy availability will be calculated by estimating fat-free mass (FFM) through the Boer equation, which uses weight and height. The formula for females is FFM (kg) = 0.252 × Weight (kg) + 0.473 × Height (cm) - 48.3. Total energy intake (TEI) will be determined from average daily calorie intake. Exercise energy expenditure (EEE) will be estimated based on activity duration and MET values using the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al., 2011). The resulting EA will be calculated using the formula: EA = (TEI - EEE) / FFM. The outcome will be an average of kcal/kg fat free mass/day over 3 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Calcium	From enrollment to the end of assessment of 3 days	Average of calcium intake in milligrams over 3 days
Vitamin D	From enrollment to the end of assessment of 3 days	Estimation of average of Vitamin D in micrograms over 3 days
Iron	From enrollment to the end of assessment of 3 days	Average of iron intake in milligrams over 3 days

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Blanquerna Institute, Universitat Ramon Llull; 🇪🇸 Barcelona, Spain