Report Title
Early-Life Dietary Habits and Parental Support Among Female Collegiate Soccer Athletes
Collective Title
Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics Research Reports 202
Abstract
This study examined the relationship between early-life dietary habits, perceived parental support, and collegiate competition level among female soccer athletes. Current and former NCAA Division I, II, III, and junior college athletes completed an anonymous retrospective survey assessing dietary behaviors, meal patterns, parental nutrition support, and sport-related factors. Of the 112 surveys received, 81 complete responses were included in the analysis. Participants had a mean age of 23.0 ± 3.8 years. Higher levels of collegiate competition were associated with more supportive home nutrition environments during childhood and adolescence. Significant associations were identified for parental encouragement to eat full meals before or after practice, parental modeling of fruit and vegetable consumption, and parental preparation of most meals during high school (Spearman ρ = 0.275–0.488, p = 0.0424 to < 0.001). Principal component analysis further showed that clustered parental support behaviors were significantly associated with vegetable intake. These findings suggest that positive family-based nutrition practices and supportive early-life food environments may play an important role in youth athlete development and progression to higher levels of competition.
LLU Discipline
Nutrition and Dietetics
Department
Nutrition and Dietetics
School
School of Allied Health Professions
First Advisor
Edward Bitok
Second Advisor
Liang Ji
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Degree Level
M.S.
Year Degree Awarded
2026
Date (Title Page)
2026
Language
English
Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings
Athletes—Nutrition; Soccer players—Nutrition; Parent and child
Type
Research Report
Digital Format
Digital Publisher
Loma Linda University Libraries
Copyright
Author
Usage Rights
This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.
Recommended Citation
Uribe, Christina; Alvarez, Kate; and Harding, Ryan, "Early-Life Dietary Habits and Parental Support Among Female Collegiate Soccer Athletes" (2026). Loma Linda University Research Reports. 59.
https://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/rr/59
Collection
Loma Linda University Research Reports
Collection Website
scholarsrepository.llu.edu/rr/
Repository
Loma Linda University. University Libraries.