FARKLI BRANŞLARDAKİ GENÇ AMATÖR SPORCULARINBESLENME BİLGİ DÜZEYİ VE TÜKENMİŞLİKSEVİYELERİNİN DEĞERLENDİRİLMESİ
Thesis Type: Postgraduate
Institution Of The Thesis: Ankara University, Sağlık Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Nutrition and Dietetics, Turkey
Approval Date: 2026
Thesis Language: Turkish
Student: NİSA GÖK
Supervisor: Eren Canbolat
Open Archive Collection: AVESIS Open Access Collection
Abstract:
This study was conducted with a total of 176 amateur athletes aged 15–25 years who had been actively participating in sports for at least one year in Mersin province, including football (n = 43), kickboxing (n = 45), Muay Thai (n = 44), and athletics (n = 44). The research data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire included items related to general characteristics of the athletes, nutritional habits, nutrition knowledge levels, anthropometric measurements, and burnout status. The mean age of the participants was 18.55 ± 3.08 years; 96.6% of the athletes were single, and 54.5% were middle school graduates. Of the participants, 67.0% were licensed athletes. The mean duration of sports participation was 3.49 ± 2.82 years, the average daily training duration was 2.97 ± 1.21 hours, and the average number of competitions participated in per year was 5.31 ± 5.90.Regarding nutrition-related perceptions, 45.5% of the athletes reported that they considered their nutrition knowledge sufficient. The most common sources of nutrition information were coaches (45.5%) and written–visual media (26.1%). According to the Sports Nutrition Knowledge Scale, all participants were classified as having a “low” level of nutrition knowledge. While the athletes generally consumed their main meals regularly, a high prevalence of skipping snacks was observed, particularly for the mid-morning snack (55.1%), afternoon snack (44.3%), and late-night snack (37.5%). The most frequently reported reasons for skipping meals were lack of time (31.8%), lack of habit (28.4%), and loss of appetite (24.4%). The rate of dietary supplement use among the athletes was 33.0%, with coach recommendation identified as the most influential factor in supplement use (50.0%). The most preferred food groups before and after training were meat–cheese–egg products (38.1%; 54.5%), bread–cereals–legumes (28.4%; 26.1%), and fruits–vegetables (16.5%; 10.2%). However, these preferences did not fully align with literature recommendations suggesting carbohydrate-rich meals before training and balanced carbohydrate–protein meals after training.According to the Athlete Burnout Scale, the mean total burnout score was 21.01 ± 6.09. While no significant differences were found between sports branches in the emotional/physical exhaustion and depersonalization subscales (p > 0.05), athletes in athletics demonstrated significantly higher scores in the reduced sense of accomplishment subscale compared to boxers (p < 0.05). No statistically significant relationship was found between nutrition knowledge level and burnout level. In conclusion, the findings indicate that athletes’ nutrition knowledge levels are insufficient, their dietary practices are not fully consistent with scientific recommendations, and burnout symptoms are more pronounced in certain sports branches. These results highlight the importance of increasing structured nutrition education programs for athletes and providing professional nutrition support at the club level to maintain performance and prevent burnout.
Keywords: Amateur athletes, burnout status, nutrition knowledge level