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Item Pilot interventions to improve the sleep/wake habits of elite adolescent athletes : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand(Massey University, 2023) Steenekamp, TravisBoth adolescent and athlete populations have been identified as at-risk groups when it comes to sleep timing, duration and quality. The aetiology of sleep issues within these populations is disparate, leading to the question of whether adolescent athletes are at particular risk considering that they span both groups. Few studies, however, have investigated the sleep patterns and behaviours of elite adolescent athletes during their everyday lives. Fewer still have attempted to intervene to improve sleep/wake patterns and behaviour where sleep concerns have been identified within adolescent athlete cohorts. This thesis comprised two studies, the first with a group of elite adolescent swimmers and the second with rowers. Swimmers and rowers were chosen as both sporting codes have traditionally high early morning training demands. Early morning training has been identified as a predominant driver of sleep loss for athlete groups making these cohorts of particular interest. Both studies included baseline monitoring for two weeks to identify the athletes’ typical sleep patterns during a normal training phase that took place during the school term. Following baseline, both athlete groups received educational training on sleep with specific sleep advice being tailored to each group using data gathered during baseline. In addition to the sleep educational material, the swimmers also had one of their early morning training sessions moved to another day of the week to try and provide them with consecutive days free of early morning training while the rowers received blue light-blocking glasses to try to limit night-time exposure to blue light. Baseline data from both groups revealed that sleep timing as well as sleep duration varied significantly across the days of the week. Sleep duration was significantly truncated on school nights before early morning training (6.7 hours) compared to school nights before mornings without training (8.8 hours). The curtailed sleep was linked to significantly earlier wake-up times while bedtimes remained constant. Classic patterns of social jetlag were evident over the weekend. The introduction of educational material in addition to training rescheduling did not result in a significant change to swimmers’ sleep duration or sleep quality. Swimming performance also remained unchanged throughout the 6 week's intervention. A positive sleep behavioural change was noted with device use before bedtime with the swimmers reducing their screen time by 24% over the intervention period. Similarly, the educational material coupled with blue light-blocking glasses did not significantly change actigraphic measures of sleep timing or duration. A reduction was found, however, concerning self-reported measures of fatigue and muscle soreness when comparing intervention to baseline ratings. Unlike the swimmers, the rowers did not significantly reduce their device use before bedtime. The findings of the studies in this thesis elucidate the challenge that early morning training poses for the sleep of adolescent athletes. The adverse consequences of inadequate and disrupted sleep patterns during adolescence are well documented and confirm that significant attention should be paid to optimising the scheduling of training for adolescent athletes. The high prevalence of early morning training sessions is the result of tradition and overloaded adolescent schedules. Creative and careful solutions that involve all stakeholders need to be found to reduce the need for early morning training sessions.Item Perceptions and determinants of healthy eating in high performing male adolescent rugby players : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics, Massey University, Albany, New Zealand(Massey University, 2017) Stokes, Emily GraceBackground: Rugby is a competitive sport in New Zealand, with the leading team, the All Blacks, ranked first in the world. Since nutrition plays an important role in sports performance, understanding how to facilitate young high-performing rugby players to eat healthy will help to optimise their performance. Research is lacking regarding perceptions and determinants of healthy eating for young rugby players, both in New Zealand and internationally. This study aimed to explore perceptions and determinants of healthy eating for high performing male adolescent rugby players living in New Zealand. Methods: Perceptions and determinants were explored using semi-structural individual interviews. Participants were 20 male high-performing rugby players aged 16 to 18 years. Interviews were recorded and transcribed for thematic analysis of themes. Results: Perceptions of healthy eating included balance and variety, portions according to energy needs and specific foods. Numerous determinants of healthy eating were described including factors related to the general lifestyle of an adolescent, including peers, family and food availability, cost, convenience and taste of food. Sports-specific determinants relating to participants’ athletic lifestyles were sports performance, motivation to perform, team culture and the timing, amount and types of food on the gastrointestinal tract. Some determinants were both general and sports-specific including the media, physical appearance and feeling good. Conclusion: High-performing male adolescent rugby players living in New Zealand have a good general understanding of the meaning of a healthy diet. A range of determinants influence the diet of these young rugby players, including general and sports-specific determinants from the macro-level, social and physical environment, as well as individual factors. Further research is required to explore the determinants of healthy eating in high-performing male adolescent rugby players both in New Zealand and internationally.Item Assessment of nutritional knowledge and food skills in talented adolescent athletes : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Human Nutrition at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2010) Burkhart, Sarah JaneThere is very limited research on the nutrition knowledge and food skills of elite athletes in New Zealand. Adolescent athletes are moving through an important physiological stage of life, as well as training and competing in their chosen sports. These athletes are the future New Zealand sporting representatives and therefore need adequate nutrition knowledge for performance, as well as health and wellbeing. This research investigated the basic and sports nutrition knowledge of 100 talented adolescent athletes, aged 13 – 20 years from five team sports using a questionnaire and a focus group. The focus group involved 9 rugby players and investigated currently available nutrition resources. While the participants had a reasonable level of basic nutrition knowledge, their sports nutrition knowledge was not as high. They struggled with the concepts of sports drinks, muscle growth and supplements. Most participants had received some nutrition education and indicated that in the future they would prefer individual sessions with a sports nutritionist, written resources, as well as group sessions including cooking sessions and group workshops, and using a high profile athlete as a role model. The participants were very clear that their coaches and parents needed to be involved in their nutrition education. More research is needed to assess the overall knowledge of New Zealand adolescent athletes and the most appropriate, and effective methods of education for this group.