Adherence to 24-Hour Movement Guidelines and Association With Diet Quality in Multi-Disciplinary Football Team Staff

Overview

The goal of this observational study is to assess whether adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines is associated with diet quality in professional football staff, an underrepresented population affected by irregular schedules, travel, and high-pressure environments. The main objectives are to: * Assess and describe the sleep quality of football sports staff * Measure and contextualise the adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines in football sports staff * Analyse and describe the diet quality of football sports staff * Describe correlations between job title, gender and location for physical movement and diet quality Participants will answer a questionnaire that incorporates: * Personal descriptives (height, weight, age, location, job title) * Data on physical activity (movement, sleep, sedentary behaviour, strength training, screen time) based on the Canadian 24-hour Movement Guidelines * The Mini-EAT dietary screening tool that evaluates diet quality (intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, and sweets) Statistical analyses will examine adherence levels, diet quality and the potential associations, aiming at informing health and performance strategies for football staff.

This study investigates the relationship between adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines and diet quality among professional football sports staff, addressing the challenges posed by irregular schedules, travel and high-pressure environments. The aim is to determine whether staff meet the health recommendations they advocate for players and to inform strategies that enhance their health and performance. Using an observational and cross-sectional research design, the study will collect data on physical activity according to the Canadian 24-hour Movement Guidelines to assess adherence, and the validated Mini-EAT dietary screening tool to evaluate diet quality. The dependent variables include factors such as physical activity levels moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light physical activity (LPA), sedentary time, sleep quality and consistency, strength training, sedentary breaks, and screen time usage. Diet quality is assessed through the frequency of intake of various food groups (e.g., fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, dairy, and sweets) and summarised with an overall diet quality score. There is a minimum of 229 participants required and the questionnaire will be distributed to individuals with confirmed employment of football staff, football clubs and universities with football teams. Statistical analyses will include descriptive statistics to summarise participant characteristics, adherence levels, and diet quality scores, MANOVA, Shapiro-Wilk to assess normality, with Pearson's or Spearman's correlations (depending on normality distribution) to examine associations between adherence scores and diet quality. Chi-square tests will identify relationships between categorical adherence levels and diet quality. These findings will inform targeted interventions to improve health outcomes for football staff, enabling them to better support players while maintaining their own performance. The proposed start date of the study is January 2025.