Survey of knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of athletes related to sports drinks and electrolytes in hydration status

Replacement of fluids excreted during exercise play an important role in in the success of athletes. However, according to the studies, knowledge and attitude about fluid intake are insufficient, and sometimes this lack of awareness leads to death. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the knowledge and behavior of athletes about sport drinks.

In a cross-sectional study, 18 sports clubs in Qom were randomly selected and 272 researcher-made questionnaires were distributed among the athletes. The questionnaire contained demographic questions and also included 14 questions about knowledge, 9 questions about attitude and 7 questions about practice. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were determined by assessment experts and Cronbach's alpha (N=24, α=0.83). Data were analyzed by ANOVA test.

In this study, 48% of the people know thirst is the best index for drinking water during exercise and 63% were unaware of the positive effects of sugary drinks on athletic performance. The number of athletes that preferred water to other beverages was 75% and about 70% had no attitude about adding carbohydrates. Also, age and education did not have correlations with level of awareness.

The findings of this study show that athletes had incorrect attitude about fluid intake and it has caused dangerous consequences such as death. Therefore, education and training for athletes and their coaches to increase their sport activity with respect to nutritional awareness is essential.