ABSTRACT
Introduction: Diet plays a fundamental role in the performance of athletes in general and basketball players in particular. For a better understanding of the nutrition of the athlete, this work aimed to evaluate the diet of Ivorian female basketball players in pre-competitive periods. Methodology: A retrospective frequency questionnaire survey was conducted from December 6, 2020 to the end of February 2021, on 86 female basketball players in the senior categories (17-35 years) playing in the first division. The collection of socio-demographic, anthropometric and dietary data before the competition was obtained for each team. Results: The study showed that 38.38% of the female basketball players had no side activities while 61.62% had a side activity. In general, 84.88% of the players had a normal Body Mass Index (BMI) compared to 06.98% overweight and 2.33% obese. The energy requirements of the women's teams were between 2427 and 2810 Kcal. The overall amount of energy consumed at breakfast in the pre-competitive period was below the required standards, while the amount of energy consumed at lunch and dinner was above the required standards for the players. Conclusion: In sum, the senior female basketball players of Côte d'Ivoire have a poor dietary profile. Nutritional interventions would be preferable for them in order to improve their nutritional knowledge on the one hand, and the distribution of caloric foods consumed during their different daily meals on the other hand, and to meet their energy needs.