Introduction: Nutrition plays a vital role in sports. Athletes must understand the
importance of diet and ensure that they meet the nutrient requirements to enhance
sports performance. The lack of understanding in sports nutrition will lead to
poor dietary practices that can cause detrimental effects on athletic achievements.
This study aims to evaluate the effects of knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP)
regarding sports nutrition and dietary intake among young university athletes.
Methods: Twenty-one local university athletes (23.8±3.4 years) were recruited, and
their anthropometric and socio-demographic data were assessed. All participants
attended a 1-day sports nutrition class. The KAP-Sports nutrition questionnaire
was administered. Three days of dietary intake were also recorded at the same
timepoints among the participants. Results: There was a significant increment
(p<0.05) in the mean scores for KAP among the participants. Total energy and
total carbohydrate intakes per day were significantly increased (p<0.05). However,
overall protein and fat intakes did not improve as the readings were higher than
the recommended values. Conclusion: In this study, sports nutrition education
improved participants’ KAP, but not the actual dietary intake. Changes in habit
require more effort, with extra attention on protein and fat intakes.