Analysis of Dietary Intake in Professional Female Football Players

NCT06713954 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 27-11-24
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 100
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

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.

Conditions

Dietary Assessment

Keywords

athlete; female; diet

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• Carbohydrates

  Amount of carbohydrates in grams from an average of 3 days

  From enrollment to the end of assessment of 3 days

• Energy intake

  Average of energy intake in calories over 3 days

  From enrollment to the end of assessment of 3 days

• Protein

  Average of protein in grams over 3 days

  From enrollment to the end of assessment of 3 days

• Fat

  Average of percentage of fat over 3 days

  From enrollment to the end of assessment of 3 days

• Energy availability

  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

  From enrollment to the end of assessment of 3 days

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Calcium

  From enrollment to the end of assessment of 3 days

• Vitamin D

  From enrollment to the end of assessment of 3 days

• Iron

  From enrollment to the end of assessment of 3 days

Study Arms (1)

Female footballers

Female footballers of varying ages, playing positions and countries

Behavioral: Dietary assessment

Interventions

Dietary assessment BEHAVIORAL

Dietary intake data will be collected using the Snap-N-Send method, a tool with enhanced validity for assessing athlete total energy intake, where participants will take photographs of their meals and share them via WhatsApp directly with the researcher. Before the study commences, participants will receive standardised instructions on photographing food and adding details in the message such as title, portion sizes and ingredients alongside each photo to enhance data precision. The principal investigator will input these photographs with the added information into Nutritics dietary analysis software, where food weights, portion sizes, and nutritional content will be estimated and calculated. Nutritics will then calculate dependent variables and convert it into a food diary report, aggregating the three days of food diary into average intake.

Female footballers

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

* Age= * 18-24 years of age * 25-31 years of age * Playing position= * Defenders: Centre-backs, fullbacks, wingbacks, goalkeepers * Midfielders: Central midfielders, attacking midfielders, defensive midfielders * Wingers: Left wingers and right wingers * Forwards: Strikers and centre-forwards * Country= * England * Spain

You may qualify if:

• 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

You may not qualify if:

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

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University Ramon Llull: lead

Study Sites (1)

Blanquerna Institute, Universitat Ramon Llull

Barcelona, 08010, Spain

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Nutrition Assessment

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Data Collection; Epidemiologic Methods; Investigative Techniques; Health Care Evaluation Mechanisms; Quality of Health Care; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation; Epidemiologic Measurements; Public Health; Environment and Public Health

Study Officials

• Blanca Roman Viñas, PhD

  Universitat Ramon Llull

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Olivia C. Coope

CONTACT

+34932533256; oliviacharlottec@blanquerna.url.edu+34932533256

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor of Health, Physical Activity and Sport

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 27, 2024
• First Posted: December 3, 2024
• Study Start: December 2, 2024
• Primary Completion: February 1, 2025
• Study Completion: March 1, 2025
• Last Updated: December 6, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP

Locations

ES (1)