Type a personality and nutritional behaviours of competitive basketball players

Abstract

Introduction. Type A personality pattern (TAPP) is related to, among others, strong rivalry and struggle for achievements, which are features that fit into sports competition. One of the determinants of sports success is a proper diet. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between the level of type A personality behavioural pattern and nutritional behaviours of basketball players. Materials and Methods. The study was conducted among 165 high-level basketball players. An author-designed nutritional behaviour questionnaire (according to the recommendations of the Food Pyramid for Swiss Athletes) and the Framingham Score in the Polish adaptation were used. Spearman's rank correlation and the Mann-Whitney U tests were applied for the analysis of the results. Results. The study confirmed that along with the increase in TAPP, the healthy eating behaviour index among basketball players increased, although it did not reach the level of statistical significance (p=0.080). Comparison of TAPP levels between groups that adhered to or disregarded particular nutritional recommendations showed that athletes limiting the consumption of non-recommended products (sweetened carbonated and non-carbonated beverages, energy drinks, fast food, and sweet and salty snacks) demonstrated a higher level of type A behaviours than those who did not follow these recommendations (p<0.001). At the same time, however, athletes consuming fish at the recommended frequency and taking care of adequate hydration during training had lower levels of TAPP than those who did not follow these recommendations (p<0.05). Conclusions. A positive relationship was found between the intensity of TAPP and the healthy eating behaviour index (without the level of statistical significance), but the results were not entirely unambiguous, which suggests the validity of further research.