Abstract
College students consume less fruits and vegetables than MyPlate recommendations in the diet. Young adults need to develop healthy behaviors early to avoid chronic disease incidences. This study aimed to assess the impact of a blog-based nutrition education on six food groups (whole grain, fruit, vegetable, protein, dairy, oil) and omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids (FA) consumption in college students. A total of 86 students who registered in Spring 2012 at a southern university in the United States were participated. A 6-week education was studied, which one group received MyPlate information plus n-3 FA information, whereas the other group received MyPlate information only. There were significant differences on fruit, vegetable, and protein group consumption between the two groups, but no difference on n-3 FA consumption. There was significant difference in self-efficacy to include n-3 FA at meals among the two groups. This education might improve some food group consumption, but not on n-3 FA consumption in college students.
Highlights
Many Americans have had inadequate intake of fruits and vegetables
For some nutrients people consumed too much, such as saturated fat, trans fat, sugar and sodium, and these relate to chronic diseases
The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a 6-week online blog, nutrition education on adopted MyPlate and n-3 fatty acids (FA) information to improve dietary intake and self-efficacy for college students age over 18
Summary
Many Americans have had inadequate intake of fruits and vegetables. Various dietary guidelines such MyPlate (USDA) has recommended an increased consumption of these food groups. In 2013, there were 38.5% adults reported consumed fruits less than one time daily, and 22.4% consumed vegetables less than one time daily [1]. MyPlate recommends filling half of the plate with fruits and vegetables at every meal, which includes five to nine servings of these two food groups daily. For some nutrients people consumed too much, such as saturated fat, trans fat, sugar and sodium, and these relate to chronic diseases. The new 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasize to minimize sugar consumption. Poor nutrition could lead to chronic disease incidences, such as diabetes, heart diseases and cancers
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