Evaluation of food choice, use of nutritional ergogenic supplements and social appearance anxiety of the athletes exercising in fitness centers

The aim of this study is to obtain factors affecting food choices, nutritional ergogenic supplement usage and social appearance anxiety levels of individuals exercising in the gyms located in Karabük. The research was conducted in two gyms those allow this study among six gymnasiums operating regularly in Karabuk Center. The participants of the research consist of 365 volunteer participants who are members of these gyms. The questionnaire consisting of 5 parts was applied by face-to-face interview technique. The food choice factors of the participants were determined by the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ), and their social appearance anxiety levels were determined by the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS). In this study, 47.9% of the participants are females and 52.1% are males. The mean age was calculated as 26.1±7.7 years and the mean body mass index (BMI) was calculated as 24.6±4.14 kg/m². The exercise goals of individuals are at the highest rate for maintaining health (78.6%), increasing muscle strength and lean muscle volume (74.5%), and staying fit (73.7%). 28.5% of the participants had a diet that they followed. The most applied diets were determined as balanced diet (59.6%), high protein diet (9.6%) and intermittent fasting (8.6%). 56.2% of the participants consumes 3 main meals, while 36.2% percent consume less than 3 main meals. The most important factors affecting the food choices of the participants are body weight control, health and convenience. The least important factor score is ethnic factors (2.13±0.85). From food selection factors; nutritional content (p=0.008) and body weight control (p<0.001) scale scores were significantly higher among those who used ergogenic supplements compared to those who did not. In addition, there was a weak positive correlation between the SAAS score and the body weight control scale score, which is one of the food choice factors (p<0.001). 45.5% of the participants used nutritional ergogenic supplements. The rate of using ergogenic supplements has been 49.5% in men and 41.1% in women. The participants used an average of 2.5±1.5 ergogenic supplements. The mean number of ergogenic supplements used was higher in males (2.7±1.5) than in females (2.3±1.5) (p<0.05). Additively, male participants have higher use rate of whey proteins, branched chain amino acids (BCAA), glutamine, creatine, arginine and carnitine while female participants have higher use rate of protein bar and soy proteins (p<0.05). The monthly average expenditure on nutritional supplements (208.3±126.9 TL) was higher in male participants (243.1±129.3 TL) than female participants (162.9±108.9 TL) (p<0.001). The mean SAAS score was calculated as 32±17.4. SAAS score of male participants (35.8±19.1) is higher than SAAS score of females (27.9±14.2) (p<0,001). Additionally, participants who used ergogenic supplements (37.4±18.8) had a higher SAAS score than those who did not (27.5±14.7) (p<0.001). As a result, it is recommended that dietitians should be employed in gyms in order to provide professional supplements for food choice and use of ergogenic supplements and to create a balanced nutrition program. Keywords: Food choice, nutritional ergogenic supplements, social appearance anxiety