carnegieXchange: School of Sport

Professor Sue Backhouse and Meghan Bentley present at BDA sports nutrition study day

Professor Sue Backhouse and Meghan Bentley from the Carnegie School of Sport are in Birmingham today presenting at the British Dietetic Association (BDA) Sports Nutrition Study Day.

Published on 15 Nov 2019
Professor Sue Backhouse

This event is hosted by the BDA Sports Nutrition Specialist Group who provide professional development opportunities for dietitians and sports dietitians/nutritionists. This study day is focused on the management of the young athlete and includes various speakers from the sports nutrition field, as well as coaches working in high performance sport.

Meghan Bentley is in the final stages of a collaborative industry sponsored PhD with the English Institute of Sport (EIS). Working across the Carnegie School of Sport and the EIS, Meghan combined a programme of research with the delivery of sports nutrition services to GB Para Powerlifting. Under the supervision of Prof. Sue Backhouse, Dr Laurie Patterson, and Nigel Mitchell, Meghan has undertaken research that has used behavioural science to develop a Sports Nutrition Behavioural Assessment tool. This evidence-based professional development tool aims to enhance sports nutritionists understanding of the complexity of athlete dietary behaviour and provide practical guidance around the design and development of sports nutrition behavioural intervention.

“I am really delighted to be able to share the Sports Nutrition Behavioural Assessment Tool at the next sports nutrition study day, I hope that this professional development tool will help to guide practitioners within their roles and encourage a collaborative approach to behaviour change across our discipline”

Meghan Bentley

Meghan Bentley

In recent months Meghan has also shared her research with the sports nutrition community in order to guide the implementation of her research into practice. Through this research Meghan is making the case for multifaceted and evidence-informed behavioural interventions to protect athletes’ overall health, well-being, and performance.

Professor Sue Backhouse is delivering a keynote address entitled Vulnerable and online: Protecting youth athletes from the risks of supplement use and the dopogenic environment.

Looking forward to the opportunity to share the Carnegie School of Sport’s research findings at the BDA study day, Sue acknowledged that ‘athletes are increasingly warned about the consumption of food supplements by International and National anti-doping organisations due to concerns surrounding the integrity of product labelling and manufacturing methods. Our research has shown that youth athletes use food supplements, yet they are generally unaware of the potential risks that supplements pose in terms of possible contamination and adulteration. At the same time, they are increasingly presented with the opportunity and motivation to use supplements in their sporting and social environments. I am therefore delighted to share our insights with sports nutritionists as they play a key role in protecting the health and well-being of athletes.

Professor Susan Backhouse

Director of Research / Carnegie School Of Sport

Sue is the Director of Research for Sport and Exercise Science, Leisure and Tourism, leading our REF2021 submission. Sue is an interdisciplinary academic serving as a Professor of Psychology and Behavioural Nutrition in the Carnegie School of Sport.

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