Health behaviours in soccer support staff: 24-hour movement adherence is positively associated with diet quality

Coope, O. C., Spurr, T. J., Levington, A. L., Davies, T., Lloyd, B., Jordáb, E. and Roman-Viñas, B. (2026) Health behaviours in soccer support staff: 24-hour movement adherence is positively associated with diet quality. Sports, 14 (6). pp. 1-16. ISSN 2075-4663

[thumbnail of Coope, O.C.; Spurr, T.J.; et al, Health Behaviours in Soccer Support Staff: 24-Hour Movement Adherence Is Positively Associated with Diet Quality. Sports 2026, 14, 224. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports14060224]
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Abstract

Soccer support staff operate under demanding schedules and high-performance environments while guiding players’ movement, sleep, and nutrition; however, their own lifestyle behaviours remain under-researched. This exploratory study assessed adherence to the Canadian 24-Hour Movement (24HM) guidelines and its association with diet quality (DQ) in professional and semi-professional soccer support staff. Methods: A cross-sectional survey collected data from 236 staff in the United Kingdom and Spain. Movement behaviours were measured using the Whole Day Matters Toolkit and DQ using the validated Mini-EAT questionnaire. A graded 24HM score (0–8) summed binary adherence across four general (MVPA, LPA, sedentary time, sleep) and four secondary (muscle-strengthening, sedentary interruptions, screen time, sleep–wake time) behaviours. Associations with DQ were estimated using adjusted multiple linear regression. Results: Only 7.6% of participants met all eight guidelines. Each one-point increase in the graded score was associated with 0.89-point higher DQ (95% CI 0.29–1.49, p = 0.004), with stronger associations observed for secondary behaviours (β = 1.27, p = 0.006) than for general behaviours (β = 0.38, p = 0.50). Conclusions: A graded 24HM scoring approach showed a graded association with DQ in soccer staff, with secondary movement behaviours showing a stronger association. All findings should be interpreted as exploratory and hypothesis-generating. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT06771752.

Publication Type: Articles
Uncontrolled Keywords: sleep, physical activity, football staff, lifestyle behaviours, sedentary behaviour, workplace health, multidisciplinary teams, nutrition, cross-sectional study
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure > GV557 Sports
G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure > GV557 Sports > GV711 Coaching
Divisions: Academic Areas > Institute of Sport
Research Entities > Centre for Health and Allied Sport and Exercise Science Research (CHASER)
SWORD Depositor: Publications Router Jisc
Depositing User: Publications Router Jisc
Date Deposited: 22 Jun 2026 08:59
Last Modified: 22 Jun 2026 08:59
URI: https://eprints.chi.ac.uk/id/eprint/8663

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