Association Between Nutritional Knowledge and Body Mass Index Among Indonesian Sports Science Students: A Cross-Sectional Study
Keywords:
Nutrition Knowledge, Student, Correlation, Nutritional statusAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to examine the association between nutritional knowledge and body mass index (BMI) among sports science and health students at Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted involving 66 students selected from a reported population of 80. Nutritional knowledge data were collected using an online questionnaire, while BMI was used as an indicator of weight status. The association between nutritional knowledge and BMI was examined using Spearman's rank correlation, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: The analysis revealed a weak positive correlation between nutritional knowledge and BMI (rₛ = 0.124), which was not statistically significant (p = 0.319). Additional comparisons of nutritional knowledge across BMI categories also showed no statistically significant differences (p = 0.824). Conclusion: Nutritional knowledge was not significantly associated with BMI among the students examined. These findings suggest that nutritional knowledge alone may be insufficient to explain variations in BMI. Further studies incorporating dietary intake, physical activity, and directly measured anthropometric indicators are warranted.
References
Almoraie, N. M., Alothmani, N. M., Alomari, W. D., & Al-Amoudi, A. H. (2025). Addressing nutritional issues and eating behaviours among university students: A narrative review. Nutrition Research Reviews, 38(1), 53–68. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954422424000088
Deforche, B., Van Dyck, D., Deliens, T., & De Bourdeaudhuij, I. (2015). Changes in weight, physical activity, sedentary behaviour and dietary intake during the transition to higher education: A prospective study. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 12, Article 16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-015-0173-9
Deliens, T., Clarys, P., De Bourdeaudhuij, I., & Deforche, B. (2014). Determinants of eating behaviour in university students: A qualitative study using focus group discussions. BMC Public Health, 14, Article 53. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-53
Deliens, T., Van Crombruggen, R., Verbruggen, S., De Bourdeaudhuij, I., Deforche, B., & Clarys, P. (2016). Dietary interventions among university students: A systematic review. Appetite, 105, 14–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2016.05.003
Elmskini, F. Z., Bouh, A., Labyad, A., Elghoulam, N., Iraqi, H., Mehdad, S., Madkour, A., Moufid, A., Aabi, M., Boutayeb, S., Taghzouti, K., Aguenaou, H., & Benaich, S. (2024). Increased nutrition knowledge and adherence to the Mediterranean diet are associated with lower body mass index and better self-rated general health among university students. Human Nutrition & Metabolism, 35, Article 200240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hnm.2024.200240
Heaney, S., O'Connor, H., Michael, S., Gifford, J., & Naughton, G. (2011). Nutrition knowledge in athletes: A systematic review. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 21(3), 248–261. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.21.3.248
Janiczak, A., Devlin, B. L., Forsyth, A., & Trakman, G. L. (2022). A systematic review update of athletes' nutrition knowledge and association with dietary intake. British Journal of Nutrition, 128(6), 1156–1169. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114521004311
Jayawardena, R., Weerasinghe, K., Trakman, G., Madhujith, T., Hills, A. P., & Kalupahana, N. S. (2023). Sports nutrition knowledge questionnaires developed for the athletic population: A systematic review. Current Nutrition Reports, 12(4), 767–777. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13668-023-00494-9
Kliemann, N., Wardle, J., Johnson, F., & Croker, H. (2016). Reliability and validity of a revised version of the General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 70(10), 1174–1180. https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2016.87
LaCaille, L. J., Dauner, K. N., Krambeer, R. J., & Pedersen, J. (2011). Psychosocial and environmental determinants of eating behaviors, physical activity, and weight change among college students: A qualitative analysis. Journal of American College Health, 59(6), 531–538. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2010.523855
Santi, A., Bosch, T. A., Bantle, A. E., Alvear, A., Wang, Q., Hodges, J. S., Dengel, D. R., & Chow, L. S. (2018). High body mass index masks body composition differences in physically active versus sedentary participants. Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders, 16(9), 483–489. https://doi.org/10.1089/met.2018.0042
Songür Bozdağ, A. N., Canbolat, E., Duman, E., & İnan, C. M. (2026). Interplay between sports nutrition knowledge, lifestyle factors, and body mass index among regularly exercising university students: A cross-sectional study. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, 18, Article 409. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-026-01929-w
Spendlove, J. K., Heaney, S. E., Gifford, J. A., Prvan, T., Denyer, G. S., & O'Connor, H. T. (2012). Evaluation of general nutrition knowledge in elite Australian athletes. British Journal of Nutrition, 107(12), 1871–1880. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114511005125
Spronk, I., Heaney, S. E., Prvan, T., & O'Connor, H. T. (2015). Relationship between general nutrition knowledge and dietary quality in elite athletes. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 25(3), 243–251. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2014-0034
Spronk, I., Kullen, C., Burdon, C., & O'Connor, H. (2014). Relationship between nutrition knowledge and dietary intake. British Journal of Nutrition, 111(10), 1713–1726. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114514000087
Teleman, A. A., de Waure, C., Soffiani, V., Poscia, A., & Di Pietro, M. L. (2015). Nutritional habits in Italian university students. Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 51(2), 99–105. https://doi.org/10.4415/ANN_15_02_05
Thomas, D. T., Erdman, K. A., & Burke, L. M. (2016). Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and athletic performance. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 116(3), 501–528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2015.12.006
Trakman, G. L., Forsyth, A., Devlin, B. L., & Belski, R. (2016). A systematic review of athletes' and coaches' nutrition knowledge and reflections on the quality of current nutrition knowledge measures. Nutrients, 8(9), Article 570. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8090570
Trakman, G. L., Forsyth, A., Hoye, R., & Belski, R. (2017). The nutrition for sport knowledge questionnaire (NSKQ): Development and validation using classical test theory and Rasch analysis. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14, Article 26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0182-y
Vázquez-Espino, K., Fernández-Tena, C., Lizarraga-Dallo, M. A., & Farran-Codina, A. (2020). Development and validation of a short sport nutrition knowledge questionnaire for athletes. Nutrients, 12(11), Article 3561. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12113561
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Wisnu Arda Gutawa, Dio Kevin Alief Utama Utama, Muhammad Arja Bahauddin, Gelsi Faiz Raydi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract views: 2
,
PDF Downloads: 5
