Assessing Dietary Intake, Eating and Exercise Attitudes and Fitness Levels in College-Aged Students
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University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Nutrition & Health Sciences Dissertations & Theses Nutrition and Health Sciences, Department of Spring 5-2010 Assessing Dietary Intake, Eating and Exercise Attitudes and Fitness Levels in College-Aged Students Katie J. James University of Nebraska at Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nutritiondiss Part of the Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Commons, and the International and Community Nutrition Commons James, Katie J., "Assessing Dietary Intake, Eating and Exercise Attitudes and Fitness Levels in College- Aged Students" (2010). Nutrition & Health Sciences Dissertations & Theses. 7. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nutritiondiss/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Nutrition and Health Sciences, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Nutrition & Health Sciences Dissertations & Theses by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. ASSESSING DIETARY INTAKE, EATING AND EXERCISE ATTITUDES, AND FITNESS LEVELS IN COLLEGE-AGED STUDENTS By Katie J. James A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science Major: Nutrition and Health Sciences Under the Supervision of Professor Wanda M. Koszewski Lincoln, NE May, 2010 ASSESSING DIETARY INTAKE, EATING AND EXERCISE ATTITUDES, AND FITNESS LEVELS OF COLLEGE-AGED STUDENTS Katie J. James, MS University of Nebraska, 2010 Advisor: Wanda Koszewski BACKGROUND The transition from high school to college can be a stressful lifestyle change for young adults. During this transition students develop a variety of health attitudes and behaviors that may have a negative impact on their overall wellbeing. OBJECTIVE To determine the correlation of BMI to dietary intake, fitness level and eating and exercise attitudes of college students. SETTING Participants completed an eating and exercise attitude survey, 2-day diet recall, and preformed three fitness tests at a Midwestern University through their Campus Recreational Center. PARTICIPANTS 772 students between the ages of 18-25 from a Midwestern University between the years of July 2004-July 2009. METHODS Calculations were performed to determine the subject’s BMI and Mean Adequacy Ratio (MAR). Rankings for three areas of fitness were based on tables provided by the YMCA Fitness Testing and Assessment Manual Fourth Edition. RESULTS The mean age of the subjects studied was 19.8 + 1.5 with seventy‐seven percent of the total population being 20 years old or younger. There was a mean BMI of 23.5 + 4.9 with sixty-six percent (n=507), having a BMI that placed them in the normal classification. Around 72 percent (n=559) had a MAR score of less than 80 ii indicating an inadequate consumption of nutrients. When the MAR scores of the total population were compared to BMI no significant correlation was found (p=.970). On the Eating Attitudes Questionnaire, only 13 percent scored greater than 4 indicating disordered eating patterns. Results showed that BMI had a significant positive correlation with the Eating Score. As BMI increased the subjects’ cardiovascular fitness levels decreased. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS The majority of college students studied did have a BMI in the normal range yet, most did not consume an adequate diet. Any education programs targeted to this population should include information about nutrition facts labels, portion sizes, exercise recommendations, and body image. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to take this opportunity to first thank The Almighty for blessing me with the discipline, motivation, and gifts that has been crucial in allowing me to achieve this goal of mine. Without my faith and the workings of God this success would not be possible. A special thank you goes to Dr. Wanda Koszewski for becoming such a sound recourse for me during this time. The amount I have learned from your astounding knowledge base cannot be measured. Thank you to Dr. Georgia Jones and Dr. Jeffrey Rudy for serving on my thesis committee and providing your input. I would like to thank the individuals who over the last ten years have given their time and efforts into making this research a success, including the participants of the study and Karen Miller and Shinya Takahashi. Karen and Shinya, you have shared your expertise and critiques throughout this process which has allowed me to gain better self- awareness and allowed my independence to flourish. Your constant smiles and positive attitudes have helped me make it through the difficult times. Lastly, my gratitude goes out to my parents Steve and Linda James whom I love and appreciate. Your constant encouragement and confidence in my educational goals has taught me the importance of a hard working ethic and how to be fearless in pursuing my dreams. Thank you. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract .............................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... iv List of Tables .................................................................................................................... vii List of Appendices ........................................................................................................... viii Chapter I: Introduction Lifestyle and Stressors of College Students .........................................................................1 Health Related Trends among College Students .................................................................2 Purpose of this study ............................................................................................................2 Objectives ............................................................................................................................3 Chapter II: Literature Review Dietary Patterns among College Students............................................................................4 Physical Activity Benefits and Behaviors ............................................................................5 Obesity Trends .....................................................................................................................6 “Freshman 15” .....................................................................................................................7 Dietary Attitudes in College Students ..................................................................................9 Physical Activity Perceptions among College Students ....................................................10 Chapter III: Methodology Subjects ..............................................................................................................................12 Data Collection Tools ........................................................................................................12 Data Collection Procedure .................................................................................................13 Data Analysis .....................................................................................................................14 Statistical Analysis .............................................................................................................15 v Chapter IV: Results Description of Participants .................................................................................................16 Dietary Intake and BMI .....................................................................................................17 Eating Attitudes and BMI ..................................................................................................21 Exercise Attitudes and BMI ...............................................................................................22 Fitness Levels and BMI .....................................................................................................24 Chapter V: Discussion, Conclusion and Limitations Discussion ..........................................................................................................................25 Conclusion .........................................................................................................................34 Limitations .........................................................................................................................35 Implications for Further Research .....................................................................................36 References ..........................................................................................................................38 Appendices .........................................................................................................................42 vi LIST OF TABLES 1. Classification of Overweight and Obesity by BMI..................................................7 2. BMI Classifications of Subjects .............................................................................17 3. Distribution of Recommend Amounts of Nutrients ...............................................18 4. Distribution of MAR Scores ..................................................................................19 5. Correlations: BMI, MAR, Eating, PA Score .........................................................20