Fifteen articles regarding athletics, nutrition, and nutrition questionnaires were analyzed from PubMed. These articles were found using keywords such as “athletes and nutrition,” “collegiate athletes and nutrition,” and “periodized nutrition and athletics.” In the articles, information such as macronutrient breakdowns essential for athletes, hydration strategies, and general information regarding the General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire was discussed. It was clear that there is a lack of knowledge regarding dietary habits specific to collegiate athletes, especially those at the Division III level. 

Based on the analysis of the articles, understanding the definition of “proper sports nutrition” is essential in helping athletes make decisions regarding their nutritional intake. Of the articles analyzed, only one directly involved a Division III collegiate sports team. This article discussed the dietary habits of a division III football team. Because there is a lack of research regarding nutritional knowledge and specific athletics teams, more research should be conducted to help understand the relationships between dietary habits and performance. Most of the nutritional literature regarding athletes describes the best guidelines for fueling an athlete’s body and why certain macronutrient breakdowns are beneficial for athletes playing specific sports. Research is recommended for determining whether or not prior nutritional knowledge directly affects an athlete’s performance. Due to the lack of research specifically regarding division III athletes and nutritional knowledge, the following research question is proposed, “In division III athletes at Carthage College, what is the correlation between having knowledge of proper sports nutrition and athletic performance?”