Bridging the gap between science and practice in sport and exercise nutrition

Bridging the gap that exists between science and every day practice in sport and exercise nutrition (SEN) is the core theme of this context statement. This work contributes to the evidence-based practice (EBP) movement which began in the medical field in the early 1990s, which is now becoming a popular concept in SEN. However, a significant obstacle currently facing practitioners is the increasing gap between scientific knowledge and the efficacious translation and utilisation of relevant knowledge in everyday practice. The causes of this gap are many and complex, including a broad landscape of often disconnected and heterogeneous practices: the absence of contextual consideration, attitudinal disparities between scientists and practitioners, practitioners’ resistance to change, and the many pitfalls of information overload experienced by consumers without the means to differentiate knowledge from marketing practices. These are among the issues which motivated the creation of my public works, namely a variety of publications and Mode 2 EBP knowledge products, and my on-going commitment to closing the gap through EBP thereby enhancing the quality and reliability of recommendations that practitioners deliver to clients. In this context statement, informed by autoethnographic discourses on the value of the practitioner/researcher perspective and conceptualising complex practice as bricolage I set out my rationale for why we need to build bridges between science and practice in SEN; and related sport science disciplines. I discuss a number of significant themes, such as what constitutes as pertinent knowledge and evidence for practice, that have preoccupied me and that have led to the creation of the public works that form parts of a comprehensive bridge, the purpose of which, in support of the main theme, which is to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world practice. This synthesis describes each of the public works in terms of content and rationale, and I provide evidence to support my claim that the works are novel and contribute both to the body of knowledge in my field and to practice. I also explain why context is vital to knowledge production and decision making in expert practice, and finally I offer a vehicle with which to navigate the bridge in the form of a model for a knowledge transfer cycle for evidenced-based practice. Therefore, drawing upon my critical engagement with a selection of my own outputs, my public works, utilising real-world exemplars from my own personal and professional development, over time I have sought to bridge the gap between science and practice in sport and exercise nutrition, harnessing technological advances and social media, to continue to make a difference.