Journal of Contemporary Athletics ISSN: 1554-9933 Volume 10, Number 1 © 2016 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. NUTRITIONAL KNOWLEDGE: ARE UNDERGRADUATES SMARTER THAN HIGH SCHOOL COACHES? Shelley L. Holden 1 , Bobby E. Phelps 1 , Timothy M. Baghurst 2 , Christopher M. Keshock 1 , Steven F. Pugh 1 , and Robert J. Heitman 1 1 University of South Alabama, Alabama, USA 2 Oklahoma State University, OK, USA ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine the nutritional knowledge of high school coaches compared to undergraduate college students. Nutritional knowledge was assessed by the Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (NKQ) by Parmenter and Wardle (1999). The NKQ meets psychometric criteria for reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = .70-.97 and construct validity, P = .001). The NKQ is divided into the sections of Dietary Recommendations (DR), Sources of Foods (SOF), Choosing Everyday Foods (CEF), Diet-Disease Relationships (DDR), and a Total Score (TS). The survey was administered to undergraduate students on the first day of class, prior to instruction. Coaches were recruited from schools within 50 miles of the university. There were 133 participants in this study (n = 62 undergraduate college students; n = 71 current high school coaches). Data were analyzed using independent T-Tests for the NKQ sections (DR, SOF, CEF, DDR, and TS). Analyses found a significant (p >.05) mean difference between students (M = 5.01 ± 2.09) and coaches (M = 6.15 ± 2.59) (t(131) = 2.756, p = .007) on the DDR section. No other significant differences were found. Results indicate high school coaches’ nutritional knowledge surpasses that of undergraduate students in only one of the five sections of the NKQ. These results are a concern because research indicates adolescents are likely to seek nutritional advice from coaches. Keywords: coaching, high school athletes, nutrition education INTRODUCTION An alarming trend in the United States is the use of nutritional supplements by young athletes. It has been estimated that between 42% and 56% of adolescents use dietary supplements (Kim & Keen, 1999; Krumback, Ellis, & Driskell, 1999; Massad, Sheir, Koceja, & Ellis, 1996; Sobal & Marquart, 1994). These widely available over-the-counter products, often marketed as natural substances are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration