24/01/2026
Educating young athletes to understand their bodies and make informed decisions is essential to promote health, prevent injuries, and optimise athletic performance. Scientific evidence shows that education on the risks of overuse, excessive training, and burnout should be integrated into pre-participation assessments and regular follow-up, alongside counselling on nutrition, hydration, rest, and stress management. Strategies that promote autonomy, intrinsic motivation, training variability, and age-appropriate practices are fundamental to preventing burnout and early sport dropout.
Regular and sport-specific education in sports safety reduces injury risk and improves health-related behaviours, while structured educational approaches strengthen communication between athletes, coaches, and families, promoting literacy in critical areas such as mental health. Exercise-based injury prevention programmes demonstrate high effectiveness, reducing overall injury incidence by approximately 35–40%, particularly when they incorporate multimodal approaches
combining strength, stability, and plyometric exercises. Multidisciplinary collaboration is essential to consolidate healthy habits and reinforce young athletes’ autonomy.
Investing in the education of young athletes is an investment in more aware, resilient, and autonomous individuals, capable of sustaining healthy sporting participation and carrying these benefits into lifelong well-being.
Nutritionist Verónica Barros, ON 5066N
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Nutritionist , ON 5066N