A Look at College Students’ Nutritional Knowledge Anna D’Hooge Senior Honors Project April 24, 2010

Outline Introduction Research objectives Procedures Fruits and vegetables Whole grains Fat intake Additional findings Conclusion References

Introduction Nutrition is related to the prevention and management of 7 leading causes of death or disability in the United States 67% of adults 20 or older are overweight or obese Long-term behavioral patterns are established during early adulthood Dz – coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, obesity and certain forms of cancer http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/overwt.htm College is a time of unique development when young people’s indenpendece and autonomy increase

Research Objectives To look at how nutrition-related courses affect the dietary patterns of college students Fruits and vegetables Whole grains Fat intake Compare the nutrition knowledge of University of Wyoming students to the literature

Procedures Review of the literature Survey Talk about the survey, 10 question that tied into the different focuses that the articles had

Fruits and Vegetables Full of vitamins and minerals Recommendation 9 servings/day Average 2-5 servings

Study Assess effectiveness of nutrition education on changes in fruit and vegetable consumption of college students Results Increase in consumption by end of course Implications Courses may help in reaching recommended levels Pretest and posttest 90 college students enrolled in nutrition class 3-day food record, dietary analysis compared to MyPyramid guidelines Class focused on importance of nutrition related to prevention of chronic dz, increasing consumption of fruits,veg and whole-grain products, encouraging low-fat dairy products, promting an active lifestyle Decrese in french fry consumption Statistically significant increases in consumption of total vegetable, fresh vegetable, total fruit and fresh fruit Exposure to a class-based nutrition education intervention may help group meet the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables

Whole Grains High in fiber Recommendation >3 servings/day Prevents diseases Recommendation >3 servings/day 10% of young people meet recommendation Average consumes <1 serving/day Fiber- slowing glucose absorption, increasing fecal weight and speed of fecal passage through the colon, hold moisture in stools and provide bulk and feeling of fullness reduces choleserol, Chron’s dz, ibs, diverticulitis Data- values quite high could be that didn’t understand question Another question of which had the highest nutritional content- 95% said whole wheat, 5% wheat

Study Journal of the American Dietetic Association Looked at identifying factors that correlate with whole grain intake Highest consumption associated with greatest taste preference Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Determine if whole grain intake is associated with body weight Inverse association between dietary intake of whole grains and risk for being overweight Cross-sectional analysis from Project EAT Project EAT – second wave of a population based study designed to examine determinants of dietary intake and weight status among young people Project EAT original survey and a food frequency questionare at follow up Cross-sectional study of college students Study 2 – students reported consuming 5.4 servings (13%) intake higher in normal weight students than those overweight or obese, also fiber Both found correlation with breakfast

Fat Intake Good and bad health effects Recommended 20-30% of total calories <10% saturated fats 2/3 consume >30% Saturated fat-development of atherosclerosis, cardiovascular dz risk, diabetes, decreased bone mineral density

Study Assessing if taking a nutrition course decreased a students’ fat consumption Results Nutrition course students consumed less total and saturated fat Knowledge applied to food preparation Canadian journal of dietetic practice and research conveniece sample from the bachelor of science program at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, compared first and fourth year students

Additional Findings Only 32% of students thought that the required health class provided enough nutrition information Reason for not eating healthy Too busy (39%) Too expensive (30%) Don’t care about nutrition (6%) Don’t know how (5%) Already do eat healthy (20%)

Conclusion Taking a nutrition-related course Implication Increased fruit and vegetable intake Decreased total and saturated fat intake Showed neutral effect on whole grain consumption Implication Requiring nutrition courses would improve the diet patterns and health of college students

References Emrich, T. E., & Mazier, P. (2009). Impact of Nutrition Education on University Students' Fat Consumption [Electronic version]. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research, 70(4), 187-192. doi:10.3148/70.4.2009.187 Rose, N., Hosig, K., Davy, B., Serrano, E., & Davis, L. (2007). Whole-Grain Intake is Associated with Body Mass Index in College Students. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 39(2), 90-92. doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2006.11.001 Ha, E., & Caine-Bish, N. (2009). Effect of Nutrition Intervention Using a General Nutrition Course for Promoting Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among College Students [Electronic version]. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 41(2), 103-109. doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2008.07.001 Nelmes M, sucher K, Long S. Nutrition Therapy and Pathophysiology. 7th edition: Thomson Wadsworth, 2007. Liebman, M. (2009). In Advance Nutrition Course Packet. Larson, N. I., Neumark-Sztainer, D., Story, M., & Burgess-Champoux, T. (2010). Whole-Grain Intake Correlates among Adolescents and Young Adults: findings from Project EAT. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 110(2), 230-237.