Date of Award:

5-2013

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences

Committee Chair(s)

Heidi J. Wengreen

Committee

Heidi J. Wengreen

Committee

Dale Wagner

Committee

Edward M. Heath

Committee

Korry Hintze

Committee

Robert Ward

Abstract

Obesity, heart disease, and osteoporosis are among the major health concerns facing Americans today. Obesity, elevated blood cholesterol, and even atherosclerosis are affecting America’s children and adolescents and putting them at increased risk for heart disease later in life. Similarly, low bone mineral density is seen among some adolescents including female athletes, increases their risk for immediate and lifetime fracture. Female athletes who do not consume enough calories to compensate for calories expended during physical activity are in a state of low energy availability which can lead to menstrual dysfunction, as well as bone loss, and injury (the female athlete triad (Triad)). The Triad is of particular concern because the associated bone loss may not be reversible. College students with poor diet and exercise habits may be at increased risk for obesity and heart disease later in life. The objectives of the research studies included in this dissertation were to develop and provide education to minimize health risk among college students and female high school athletes.

The first study assessed Triad knowledge and awareness among female high school athletes and their coaches. Most coaches and athletes were largely unaware of the Triad, its risk factors, or potential negative impacts on lifetime health of the athlete. This research revealed that, with proper training and resources, coaches had the potential to be a conduit for screening for the Triad and providing Triad education to female high school athletes. A peer-led Triad education intervention was piloted in the second study. Junior and senior athletes were trained by a research assistant and then taught their peers about the Triad. There was a significant increase in Triad knowledge from the beginning to the end of the intervention.

Healthy Eating 101, a brief, peer-led nutrition workshop was taught to half of the students enrolled in a college freshman orientation course. A cross-sectional study was conducted mid-semester to determine if the diets of those who participated in the workshop had higher diet quality compared to students who did not participate in the workshop. There were no differences in diet among those two groups. Responses by participants in a focus group help the following semester indicated that follow-up in the form of additional workshops, cooking classes, emails, or meeting with nutrition students who would serve as “nutrition coaches” might improve their dietary patterns. The final study implemented and evaluated a nutrition education intervention, Viva Vegetables!, into a college nutrition course. The viewing of online videos featuring dietitians teaching about various vegetables and demonstrating simple ways to prepare them was coupled with in-class tasting experiences. Though no changes in vegetable intake were observed, there were increases in cooking self-efficacy and readiness to increase vegetable intake, both of which are associated with vegetable intake.

Checksum

ea65cfa609e4d2ef141a76590a73c925

Comments

This work made publicly available electronically on 5/2013

Download

Included in

Food Science Commons

Share

COinS

Copyright for this work is retained by the student. If you have any questions regarding the inclusion of this work in the Digital Commons, please email us at .