THE EFFECT OF NUTRITION KNOWLEDGE ON NUTRITIONAL STATUS IN SPORT SCIENCE STUDENTS

The knowledge may vary to eating behavior which contributes to nutritional status and performance. Therefore, this study aims to know the relationship between nutrition knowledge and the nutritional status of students in the Sport Science Faculty of Universitas Negeri Medan. The study used a cross-sectional research design. Samples were 27 students in Sports Science. Nutritional knowledge was collected by using the Sport Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (SNKQ). Body mass index (BMI) was measured by anthropometry. Data analysis was descriptive and regression analysis. On average, nutrition knowledge score was in poor category whereas the knowledge of a balanced diet was in the good category. Meanwhile, the knowledge of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals was in poor category. Whereas water knowledge was in sufficient category. The result shows that 81.5% students have got normal BMI, while 14.5% and 3.7% are in overweight and underweight. The result of regression test shows r = 0.580 with p 0.004<0.005, which means that nutrition knowledge influences nutritional status.