Effect of a communication programme on dietary behaviour of Beninese female handball players

Dietary behaviour in humans is often influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. During training camps, elite female handball players from different parts of the country are subjected to the same diet. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of a communication programme proposed in 2019, to the cadet and junior female handball players, on their dietary behaviour in Benin. This is an intervention study, with 36 cadet and junior female handball players selected to participate in the two training camps in 2019. Data on the physiological, social, cultural and psychological determinants of eating behaviour were collected through observation and questionnaire, as appropriate, before and after the intervention. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data and McNemar's test was used to analyze the contingency tables. Fifteen players significantly improved their eating behaviour from zero at baseline to good (p = 0.0001). The physiological, social, cultural and psychological determinants of eating behaviour were all improved at p = 0.0001. The proposed communication programme induced a significant improvement in the eating behaviour of the handball female players studied. Nutrition education sessions and the integration of the players' food preferences into diets may have a more significant impact in a future study.