comparison of the energy and macronutrient intakes in female aerobic athletes in two different social- economic areas in isfahan in 2009

background: the purpose of this study was to assess the energy and nutritional intakes of female aerobic athletes in two different social - economic classes.   methods: the subjects were 99 female aerobic athletes aged between 15 to 50 years old. the dietary and energy intakes were based on 2 day 24 hours food recall. the demographic details were assessed by anthropometric measurements including height, weight and waste line using a measuring tape and a scale. the collected data were analyzed using the nutritionist iv and spss 18.   findings: the energy intake was 1479.19 ±561.86 kcal in the high social - economic class and 1300.68 ±498.354 kcal in the low social - economic class. there was no significant difference between the two areas. (p=0.98) the mean protein intake in the low social- economic class was 17.41%±5.85 and in the high social - economic class 54.48±%6.62.there was no significant difference between the two areas. (p=0/606) the mean intake of carbohydrate was 61.85%±9.76 in the low social - economic class and 54.48%±6.62 in the high social - economic class that means the carbohydrate intake in the low social - economic class was significantly higher than the high social- economic class. (p<0/001) the mean intake of the fat was 23.88%± 8.24 in the low social - economic class and 30.07%±6.68 in the high social - economic class that means the fat intake in the high social - economic class was significantly higher than the low social - economic class. (p<0/001)   conclusion: the findings of this study indicated that the intake of dietary fat and carbohydrate was significantly different in the two areas. this could be as a result of different food patterns in the two areas.   key words: macronutrients, social - economic class, athlete