Sport supplement consumption in children and adolescents competing in swimming in the Valencian Community

Abstract

The consumption of sports supplements (SS) is on the rise, including among children and adolescents. The lack of studies on SS consumption habits in these age groups represents a significant gap. The aim of this study was to identify the pattern of SS consumption in children and adolescents competing in swimming, analyzing the different types of SS they use and assessing whether there are age-related differences. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 148 competitive swimmers from the Valencian Community (age: 12.6±2.7). To collect data for this study, a questionnaire was used consisting of three sections: personal and anthropometric data, information about sports practice, and aspects related to supplement consumption, including types, reasons, sources of advice, and places of purchase. A total of 66.9% of respondents reported using SS. The average number of SS consumed by the sample was 2.6. The main reason, place of purchase, and advisor selected by the sample were performance improvement (86.9%), specialized stores (62.6%), and coaches/trainers (74.7%), respectively. The three most consumed SS were sports bars (73.7%), sports drinks (69.7%), and multivitamins (36.4%). This knowledge is crucial for developing educational programs to prevent unnecessary and indiscriminate use of supplements.