Life Sciences Commons^™

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Health Literacy And Dietary Practices Among College Students: A Test Of The Integrated Model Of Health Literacy, Alison B. Oberne

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Overweight and obesity continue to plague Americans and contribute to decreased quantity and quality of life. Americans of all ages experience overweight and obesity; however, increasing rates occur during young adulthood. Young adults develop dietary practice behaviors that persist into adulthood and can contribute to weight-related chronic diseases. Approximately half of all young adults are enrolled in college, and, approximately 38% of college students are either overweight or obese.

Dietary practices are health behaviors that can either increase or decrease risk for overweight and obesity. Much research has explored predictors of dietary practices among college students; however, there is a …

Impact Of Nutrition Knowledge And Body Image On Bmi Assessment In College-Aged Men And Women, Madeline Simonet

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Background A majority of the population struggles with body image everyday. However, college students/young adults seem to struggle the most. In a recent Psychology Today Body Image Survey, 56% of college-aged women and 43% of college-aged men were dissatisfied with their overall appearance. Objective To assess how accurate college-aged males and females are in estimating own body images by measuring perceived vs. actual BMI and to analyze if a participant’s nutritional background knowledge affects the accuracy of BMI prediction. Methods One time data collection was used. Participants (n=23 female, n=17 male) estimated BMI via silhouette choice. After BMI estimation, participant …

Effectiveness Of Student Led Hunger Relief Project Towards Food Waste Recovery And Nutritional Impact In Low Income Communities, Victoria Holland

Health Sciences Student Work

Introduction: According to the USDA, 12.3% (15.6 million) of U.S. households were food insecure in 2016 due to contributing factors such as lack of food accessibility and the prevalent food waste in the U.S. An estimated 40% of food is thrown away each year and contributions to this food waste include an estimated 22 million pounds of unconsumed foods discarded in college campuses around the U.S. Programs have been developed to target this food waste epidemic while combatting Americans malnutrition. Campus Kitchens Project (CKP) is an innovative student led hunger relief program which recovers food from college campus kitchens and …

Nutrition And Physical Activity Recall To Assess The Health Status Of Commuters And Residents On A College Campus, Holly Scott

Health Sciences Student Work

Introduction: Behavioral patterns acquired in college may contribute to overweight and obesity later in life. Food found in college dormitories and dining halls are those of convenience. Physical activity and a healthy diet are important components to maintaining a healthy weight. Research Questions: The purpose of this study is to investigate if residency during college and access to kitchen appliances impacts students’ dietary composition and physical activity levels and other health behaviors. Methodology: 38 students (27 residents and 11 commuters) from Merrimack College participated in the study. These participants were recruited through convenience sampling on campus. All participants completed a …

Wish4campus: Local And Regional Investigation Of Food Insecurity And Associated Behavioral Characteristics Among College Students, Rebecca L. Hagedorn, Melissa D. Olfert, Et. Al.

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Food Insecurity, Depression, Disordered Eating Styles, And Body Mass Index Among University Students, Cristal Medina

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Food insecurity is higher among college students than in the general population. Food insecurity can lead to a variety of health outcomes. The present cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between food insecurity and body mass index (BMI), depression, and disordered eating among university students. The study was carried out at eight public universities in the Midwest.

Students at participating universities in the Midwest were recruited electronically. They were asked to complete an online survey which consisted of the U.S. Adult Food Security Scale, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire. Participants were also asked …

Metabolic Syndrome Prevalence In Students Attending West Virginia University, Melissa D. Olfert, Amanda Dent, Rachel A. Wattick

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Few studies have investigated the MetS risk of young adults (18–24 years old). This study aims to determine the prevalence of MetS in Appalachian and non-Appalachian students attending West Virginia University. The prevalence of MetS in this population was 15%. There was no difference in MetS prevalence between male students and female students (18.8% males and 11.1% females, p-value = 0.30), or between Appalachian students and non-Appalachian students (17.7% Appalachian and 10.0% non-Appalachian, p-value = 0.33). Identification of MetS early in life is …

Health Behaviors Of Student Community Research Partners When Designing And Implementing A Healthy Lifestyle Intervention On College Campuses, Makenzie L. Barr, Sarah E. Colby, Kristin Riggsbee, Anne E. Mathews, Melissa J. Vilaro, Kendra K. Kattlemann, Melissa D. Olfert

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Few studies work with college students as equal partners in all aspects of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) and even less evaluate behaviors of those college partners. The current study aimed to examine health behaviors of students by designing and implementing a peer-led, social marketing campaign (Get Fruved) to promote healthier lifestyles on their campuses. Enrolled students (n = 376) were trained to either design and implement a health promotion intervention (Social Marketing and Environmental Interventionists; SMEI, n = 78), be peer mentors (PM; n = 205), or serve as control participants (n = 93). Students’ behaviors (dietary, activity, and stress) …

Food Choice Priorities Change Over Time And Predict Dietary Intake At The End Of The First Year Of College Among Students In The U.S., Melissa J. Vilaro, Sarah E. Colby, Kristin Riggsbee, Wenjun Zhou, Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, Melissa D. Olfert, Tracey E. Barnett, Tanya Horacek, Morgan Sowers, Anne E. Matthews

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

This study assessed food choice priorities (FCP) and associations with consumption of fruits and vegetables (FV), fiber, added sugars from non-beverage sources, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) among college students. Freshmen from eight U.S. universities (N = 1149) completed the Food Choice Priorities Survey, designed for college students to provide a way to determine the factors of greatest importance regarding food choices, and the NCI Dietary Screener Questionnaire. Changes in FCP and dietary intake from fall 2015 to spring 2016 were assessed. Multiple regression models examined associations between FCP and log-transformed dietary intake, controlling for sex, age, race, and BMI. Participant …

Gardening Experience Is Associated With Increased Fruit And Vegetable Intake Among First-Year College Students: A Cross-Sectional Examination, Jennifer Loso, Daniel Staub, Sarah E. Colby, Melissa D. Olfert, Kendra Kattelmann, Melissa Vilaro, James Colee, Wenjun Zhou, Lisa Franzen-Castle, Anne E. Matthews

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background Gardening interventions have been shown to increase fruit and vegetable (F/V) intake among school-aged children. It is unknown whether these effects persist into later adolescence or adulthood, and little is known about whether gardening in later adolescence is related to F/V intake. Objective To identify the relationship between both childhood and recent (within the past 12 months) gardening experiences and current F/V intake among college students. Design/participants A cross-sectional evaluation of 1,121 college freshmen with suboptimal F/V consumption from eight US universities. Main outcome measures Participants completed the National Cancer Institute Fruit and Vegetable Screener and questions about gardening …

Orthorexia Nervosa In Undergraduate Health Majors: Using Yoga As An Intervention, Ashley Kyle

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Purpose and Objectives: While much is known about common eating disorders in undergraduate students in college, limited research is available on the prevalence of orthorexia nervosa (ON). Orthorexia nervosa is a fixation on righteous eating that typically stems from an attempt to diet or consume healthier foods and turns into an obsession with the quality and purity of food. This type of behavior can become extremely restrictive, damage mental and physical health, and may lead disruptions in daily life. Specifically, information is lacking on the prevalence of ON in health majors, how to classify this disorder, and how to treat …

Assessing The Relationship Between Parenting Styles And Dietary Behaviors Among Young Adults, Breanna Tofteland

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Food continues to be the focus of lifelong dietary and social habits. Past studies have shown the importance of creating healthy habits in childhood to increase the probability of healthy dietary behaviors as adults. A concern nationwide is that unhealthy dietary habits formed as a child translates to habits practiced as an adult, resulting in obesity (CDC, 2016). Past studies have shown that parenting styles are one of the contributing factors that influence how young adults view and interact with food. Branen & Fletcher's study concluded that there are significant correlations between habits formed in childhood that are still happening …