Determination of body composition, nutritional status, eating attitudes and behaviors of athletes affiliated with Turkey Olympic Preparation Center

Determination of Body Composition, Nutritional Status, Eating Attitudes and Behaviors of Athletes Affiliated with Turkey Olympic Preparation Center. Hasan Kalyoncu University Graduate Education Institute, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Master Thesis, Gaziantep, 2023. The research is a cross-sectional descriptive study, located in Ankara, Türkiye. The study was conducted at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Department of Athlete Health, Performance and Service, Quality Standards, with the participation of 64 male athletes with an average age of 19.1±2.63 years who volunteered to participate in the study, affiliated with the Turkish Olympic Preparation Center. Within the scope of the research, the general characteristics of the athletes were applied face-to-face with a questionnaire questioning their nutritional status. The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-40) was applied to the athletes to determine their eating attitudes and the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) was applied to evaluate their eating behavior. Air Displacement (BOD POD) and Bioelectric Impedance Analysis (BIA) are used for body composition analysis of the athletes, and the resting metabolic rate (RMR) is measured with the indirect calorimeter FITMATE. The total EAT-40 score was found to be 11.2±6.35. When examined on a branch basis, the total EAT-40 score of boxing athletes (15.3±6.81) was found to be significantly higher than those of wrestling (8.7±5.49) and judo (8.2±3.07) athletes. Emotional, restrictive and external eating behavior total scores from DEBQ subscales were determined as 22.9±11.07, 23.8±8.09, 30.0±7.76, respectively. It was determined that as the emotional eating attitude score increased, the energy intake and body weight of the athletes were also increased (p<0.05). According to BOD POD and BIA analyzes for body composition analysis of athletes, body fat percentages are respectively; 11.3±5.83% and 14.4±5.95%, and lean body mass were determined as 66.6±12.44% and 65.1±9.83%, respectively. According to the FITMATE analysis, the mean RMR of the athletes was found to be 2228.2±462.12 kcal. The phase angle values depending on the body composition of the athletes were examined and it was determined that they were in the normal range. This study sheds light on studies that will investigate athlete nutrition and body composition, which affect the success profiles of athletes. Keys: Sports nutrition, eating attitude, eating behavior, body composition