SynthesisBMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation2026
Outcome indicators and effectiveness of nutrition education for athletes: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAppropriate management of health and nutritional status is essential for athletes to maintain performance, enhance recovery, and prevent injuries. Nutrition education aims to improve health and nutritional status through changes in dietary behaviors, thereby supporting athletic sustainability and quality of life. Previous systematic reviews have primarily focused on intermediate outcomes such as nutrition knowledge and behaviors, whereas health and nutritional status as final outcomes and the effectiveness of nutrition education interventions have not been systematically organized. This review aimed to (1) summarize health and nutritional status outcome measures used in nutrition education intervention studies targeting athletes and (2) examine the effectiveness of these interventions in relation to outcome consistency and alignment with intervention objectives.
methodsThis systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023417419). Seven databases were searched for studies published between April 2003 and March 2025. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials, non-randomized controlled trials, and pre-post intervention studies involving athletes aged ≥ 12 years. Nutrition education interventions included lectures, counseling, and face-to-face or online programs delivered to individuals and/or groups. Outcomes included objective and/or subjective indicators of health and nutritional status.
resultsTwenty-four studies involving 845 athletes were included. All studies assessed anthropometric or body composition measures such as body weight, fat mass, and fat-free mass. Biochemical indicators were less frequently used, with hydration status assessed by urine specific gravity in three studies and blood biomarkers in three studies. Subjective health-related outcomes were rarely evaluated. Intermediate outcomes such as nutrition knowledge and dietary behaviors were assessed in 12 studies. Studies in which intervention objectives, educational content, and outcome measures were aligned tended to report improvements corresponding to their stated objectives.
conclusionsIn nutrition education intervention studies targeting athletes, objective measures of body weight and body composition are commonly used, whereas subjective health status assessments remain limited. Nutrition education may be effective for intermediate outcomes such as nutrition knowledge and dietary behaviors, but evidence for effectiveness in physiological and biochemical outcomes remains inconclusive. Aligning intervention objectives, educational content, and evaluation measures within a nutrition management framework may be important for appropriately evaluating effectiveness. Repeated nutrition education interventions may contribute to sustainable behavioral and health-related changes in athletes.
Indexed as
Identifiers
42482108What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.