https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/student_scholarship_posters/1152/thumbnail.jp

Gonzalez, Gina Blunt

Hull, Allison

English

Morehead State University

REFERENCESINTRODUCTIONDietary supplements are a growing multi-billion dollar industry and are used for health, performance, and disease prevention reasons. However, due to a lack of FDA regulation, there are concerns with the safety and efficacy of many dietary supplements. Exercise professionals and personal trainers are in a position to educate the public on dietary supplements; however, it is unknown how exercise professionals and personal trainers approach this topic personally and professionally. The purpose of this study is to better understand behaviors and attitudes of personal trainers with respect to dietary supplements. RESULTSDietary supplements are defined by the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) as: “a product (other than tobacco) intended to supplement the diet that bears or contains one or more of the following ingredients: a vitamin, a mineral, an herb or other botanical, an amino acid, a dietary substance for use by man to supplement the diet by increasing the total daily intake, or a concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract, or combinations of these ingredients” and “are intended for ingestion in pill, capsule, or liquid form, cannot be represented for use as a conventional food or as the sole item of a meal or diet, and must be labeled as a ‘dietary supplement’” (USFDA, 2010).This research is supported by an Undergraduate Research Fellowship provided by the Morehead State University Academic Honors Program.DEFINITION OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTBlunt, G. H., PhD, & King, K. M., PhD. (2010). Health and fitness professionals’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors toward dietary supplements. Kentucky Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Journal, 48 (Fall 2010), 13-16.Sands, L. M. (2012). Dietary supplement use, perceived benefits, and sources of information among members of a fitness center of Western New York (Master’s thesis). Retrieved from https://msu.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview1020588481?accountid=12553United States Food and Drug Administration, USFDA. (2010). Overview of dietary supplements. Retrieved February 28, 2010, from http://www.fda.gov/Food/DietarySupplements/ConsumerInformation/ucm110417.htm#what.https://expertbeacon.com/sites/default/files/before_buying_dietary_supplements_follow_this_advice.jpgParticipants (n=47) ranged in age from 22 to 62 with M = 39.13 and SD = 10.12 (60% female and 40% male). The years of experience ranged from 3 months to 10.3 years (M = 3.7 years). Most had a college education (some college n=5, bachelor’s n=20, master’s n=12). The majority (47%) have a degree in Exercise Science and 49% said that they had college courses that discussed topics related to dietary supplements (M = 10.8 hours of instruction) where the most discussed topics included vitamins/minerals, regulations, and safety. A majority (83%) had at least one nationally recognized certification and 29% had 2 or more.  Of the participants, 33 currently take supplements, 5 have taken them in the past, and 7 do not take them at all. Major sources of supplement information were scientific journals (n=25), internet (n=20), textbooks (n=15), and friend recommendations (n=14). When asked about supplements and their clients, 67% responded that they never or seldom recommend/prescribe supplements. The most cited reason for recommending supplements was to benefit the client and the most cited reason for not recommending supplements was scope of practice issues. Most participants believed that registered dieticians and medical doctors are qualified to recommend dietary supplements (83% and 62% respectively) but only 28% believe that personal trainers are qualified to recommend supplements.Highest Rated Knowledge Lowest Rated KnowledgeProtein powders M = 3.85 Prohormones M = 2.10Vitamins/minerals M = 3.75 Herbals M = 2.28Pre-Workout M = 3.60 Probiotics M = 2.90Highest Rated Safety Lowest Rated SafetyFish oil M = 4.15 Weight loss M = 2.44Vitamins/minerals M = 4.10 Energy supplements M = 2.46Probiotics M = 3.75 Prohormones M = 2.57Highest Rated Efficacy Lowest Rated EfficacyProbiotics M = 3.87 Weight loss M = 3.03Fish oil M = 3.86 Herbal M = 3.08Protein powders M = 3.79 Weight gain M = 3.15The first step of this research was to create an instrument by conducting a literature review on supplements in the personal training profession and a review of existing instruments. The instrument included demographics, questions relating to both personal and professional behaviors, and attitudes toward dietary supplements. Once the instrument was created, it was pilot tested on a group of 5 personal trainers and fitness experts, revised, then disseminated to a larger sample. The survey was posted online and shared though social media and personal training forums and websites. Results of the survey were analyzed using SPSS 22.0.METHODSDISCUSSIONThe majority (n=33) of trainers said they currently take supplements, however, twenty-nine said they never or seldom recommend/prescribe them to clients. Although their personal behavior reflects the use of supplements, they may be more conservative when it comes to recommending them to clients. This could be due to the trainer’s perceived scope of practice, lack of necessity, or fear of legal repercussions.Trainers were asked what type of supplements they personally consumed and the three top categories included protein, vitamins/minerals, and fish oil. These categories were also among the top rated in knowledge, safety, and effectiveness. Personal trainers may use personal experience and anecdotal evidence as a way to determine which supplements are most appropriate for themselves and their clients.Overall, this group of personal trainers was educated with the majority holding one or more certifications. There is a need to sample a variety of trainers including those who do not hold certifications or have health-related degrees. Future posts should focus on general personal training sites and forums.The small sample size does not allow for generalizations in thispopulation. This is an ongoing project and this sample shouldbe viewed as preliminary data.How Knowledgeable do you feel about the following dietary supplements?Scale: 1-Not at all knowledgeable, 2-Aware of but do not know much about, 3-Limited/some knowledge, 4-Knowledgeable, 5-Very knowledgeableRate your opinion of the safety of the following supplements.Scale: 1-Very unsafe, 2-A little unsafe, 3-Neutral, 4-Pretty safe, 5-Very SafeRate your opinion of the effectiveness of the following supplements.1-Very unsafe, 2-A little unsafe, 3-Neutral, 4-Pretty safe, 5-Very SafeDietary Supplement Attitudes and Behaviors in the Personal Training ProfessionAllison Hull, Gina Blunt Gonzalez PhD Faculty MentorMorehead State UniversityDepartment of Kinesiology, Health, & Imaging SciencesCategory pTake supplementsMean (SD)Do not take supplements Mean (SD)Efficacy of Weight Gain .019 3.29 (0.81) 2.25 (0.50)Safety of Energy .035 2.63 (1.00) 1.67 (0.82)Safety of Weight Loss .043 2.56 (0.98) 1.67 (0.82)Safety of Weight Gain .017 2.90 (0.79) 2.00 (0.89)Safety of Preworkout .017 2.91 (0.99) 1.83 (0.75)*Recommend Fish Oil .007 2.44 (1.22) 1.00 (0.00)*Recommend Protein .014 2.59 (1.13) 1.33 (0.82)Differences in responses between female and male personal trainers. Independent t-test significant values for effectiveness, safety, knowledge and recommendations. Alpha set at .05 a prioriCategory pFemalesMean (SD)MalesMean (SD)Knowledge Protein .036 3.63 (0.88) 4.19 (0.65)Knowledge Probiotics .039 3.17 (0.96) 2.50 (0.97)Knowledge Energy .015 2.88 (1.23) 3.81 (0.98)Knowledge Weight Gain .005 2.88 (1.23) 3.81 (0.98)Knowledge Creatine .004 3.00 (1.14) 4.00 (0.73)Effectiveness Probiotics .001 4.08 (0.65) 3.53 (0.74)Safety Probiotics .020 4.08 (0.72) 3.25 (0.68)Differences in responses between personal trainers who take supplements (current or past) and those who do not take supplements. Independent t-test significant values for effectiveness, safety, knowledge and recommendations. Alpha set at .05 a priori.*How often do you recommend dietary supplements?Never =1, Seldom = 2, Sometimes =3, Often =4, Almost Always = 5

Dietary Supplement Attitudes and Behaviors in the Personal Training Profession

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Dietary Supplement Attitudes and Behaviors in the Personal Training Profession

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