Mahmoud Abdullah Alkhateib
Aspetar, Qatar
Title: Nutrition education for adolescent athlete: Nutrition curriculum
Biography
Biography: Mahmoud Abdullah Alkhateib
Abstract
Adolescence is a time of increased control over food choices and dietary practices. Results of several studies showed a low fruit and vegetable intake among adolescents, bad dietary habits, missing meals and high intake of junk foods. Participating in sports presents unique nutritional concerns and health risk and it has been well documented that adolescent athletes lack the knowledge to make good nutritional decisions to improve health, performance and growth. Implementing a nutrition education program in the schools has an important role in the lives of adolescent athletes; it provides the knowledge and skills necessary to make healthy food choices for success in school, general well-being and therefore an improvement in perceived sport performance. The Sports Nutrition Unit at Aspetar Orthopedic and Sports Medicine hospital have developed a well-designed nutrition curriculum for grade 7 & 8 students athletes at Aspire Sports Academy based on needs assessment from clinical data and a new screening tool. The curriculum aims to promote healthy eating among students athletes through a comprehensive school nutrition program and to provide nutrition education through developmentally appropriate, culturally relevant, fun, participatory activities that involve social learning strategies. At our conceptual framework we used a modified Tyler’s model with its five steps in which each step is then developed and applied to the topic of nutrition education through working continuously with the Aspire school curriculum committee.