Resumen de Liquid intake habits during competition in paddle players

Carlos de Teresa Galván , E. Parrón, Teresa Nestares Pleguezuelo

• Introduction: Athletes must maintain a good level of hydration during competition by taking an appropriate amount of water or sport drinks before, after and during exercise. Dehydration reduces performance capability and abilities.

  Objective: Given the rise in the practice of paddle, we consider of great interest to study hydration habits of paddle players.

  Method: The study involved 416 non-professional (amateur) paddle players (128 women, 288 men) aged from 9 to 66, from Almeria (Spain), with an average of 14.6 years of sports practice and 4.4 years playing paddle. Prior informed consent was assessed by a validated survey liquid intake. SPSS 20.0 was used.

  Results: 63% of the studied players drink before, during and after the competition, whereas other 32% don not do it regularly. However, the amount of liquid ingested by 48% of subjects, does not exceed 800 ml, being an insufficient intake to reach the water needs of an athlete. According to this, in 46% of the players on a match lasting two hours, only 5.8% of players have the habit to always consume sport drinks to counter and delay the onset of fatigue, while the 44% remaining never do it. The most consumed beverage was Aquarius.

  Conclusion: The study shows risky habits between population tested and therefore the need for adequate hydration habits.