Effect of a Nutritional Education Intervention in Female Athletes

NCT07460102 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: CER 102523ERNA-GRAFAIS-02
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 97
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This cluster randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the effect of a nutritional education intervention on sports nutrition knowledge, dietary intake, and body composition in adolescent female handball players. Four handball clubs were recruited and randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to either an intervention group or a control group. Randomization was performed at the club level to prevent contamination between participants. The intervention consisted of three in-person group educational sessions delivered once per week over a three-week period by a dietitian-nutritionist. Session content was developed based on focus group findings, baseline nutrition knowledge assessment, and results from a previous pilot study. The intervention addressed key sports nutrition topics, including energy requirements, macronutrients, micronutrients, hydration, and healthy eating strategies for athletic performance. The control group continued their usual dietary habits and did not receive any nutritional education during the intervention period. For ethical reasons, the control group received the educational program after study completion.

Conditions

Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice

Keywords

nutrition education;; female athletes; nutritional knowledge; dietary intake; body composition

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Sports nutrition knowledge

  Change in sports nutrition knowledge score using the NUKYA questionnaire.

  From baseline to post-intervention and three-month follow-up

Secondary Outcomes (10)

• Adherence to the Mediterranean diet pattern.

  From baseline to three month follow-up.

• Height

  From baseline to three month follow-up.

• Weight

  From baseline to three month follow-up.

• Fat mass

  From baseline to three month follow-up.

• Muscle mass

  From baseline to three month follow-up.

Study Arms (2)

Intervention Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Receive an educational nutrition program

Other: Nutritional education program

Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

Does not receive any educational nutrition program.

Interventions

Nutritional education program OTHER

The nutritional education intervention consisted of three in-person group sessions delivered by a licensed dietitian-nutritionist, each lasting 30 minutes and delivered once per week.

Intervention Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 12 Years - 19 Years
• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Female athletes aged 12 to 19 years
• Minimum of one year of training experience at their club
• Training at least three days per week for approximately 1.5 hours per session

You may not qualify if:

• Pre-menarcheal athletes
• Diagnosis of an eating disorder
• Presence of a chronic disease requiring a specific dietary plan
• Pregnancy
• Lack of proficiency in Spanish

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Andreu Farran-Codina: lead
• Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo: collaborator
• AGAUR: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Campus de l'Alimentació de Torribera, Universitat de Barcelona

Santa Coloma de Gramenet, 08921, Spain

Location

Related Publications (2)

• Veloso-Pulgar M, Fernandez de Arriba R, Farran-Codina A. Effects of nutrition education programmes designed to improve dietary intake and nutrition knowledge in female athletes: a systematic review. Nutr Res Rev. 2025 Dec;38(2):924-943. doi: 10.1017/S0954422425100152. Epub 2025 Jul 28.

  PMID: 40719032 BACKGROUND

• Veloso-Pulgar M, Farran-Codina A. Effect of a Nutritional Education Intervention on Sports Nutrition Knowledge, Dietary Intake, and Body Composition in Female Athletes: A Pilot Study. Nutrients. 2025 Aug 5;17(15):2560. doi: 10.3390/nu17152560.

  PMID: 40806144 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Participants were not blinded due to the nature of the educational intervention. Outcome assessors and data analysts were blinded to group assignments to reduce bias in data collection and analysis. Investigators and care providers were not blinded.
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor and Principal Investigator

Model Details: Randomization was performed at the club level to prevent contamination between groups. Four women's handball clubs in Catalonia were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio, with two clubs allocated to the intervention group and two to the control group.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 18, 2026
• First Posted: March 10, 2026
• Study Start: February 3, 2025
• Primary Completion: October 31, 2025
• Study Completion: December 19, 2025
• Last Updated: March 10, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

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

Locations

ES (1)