The Relationship Between Minutes of Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity and Dietary Intake in College Students (P16-004-19)

Abstract

ObjectivesDietary compensation for energy expenditure is one hypothesis for why many individuals struggle to maintain a healthy body weight. The objective of this investigation was to assess the relationship between the amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and dietary intake of college students within corresponding 24-hour periods. MethodsCollege students enrolled in a personal health and fitness class were recruited to participate in this study. As part of the course, all students completed a 7 day food journal and were concurrently assigned to wear a Polar Active fitness tracker with a tracker wear time of 24 hours per day. Physical activity data was collected from consenting participants and served as the independent variable. Dietary intake including but not limited to total kilocalories (kcals), carbohydrate (CHO), protein, fat, and selected micronutrients were also collected. Pearson correlations were assessed using SPSS between physical activity and dietary variables. Further, amount of daily MVPA was divided into <30 minutes, 30–60 minutes, and > 60 minutes per recorded day. ANOVA was utilized to compare dietary means of various activity levels. ResultsA total of 110 students participated in this study with 50% female, 45% male, 5% that did not answer, mean age of 21.3 (±1.7) and BMI 24.7 (±3.7). A weak but positive correlation was identified between total minutes of MVPA and total kcal intake (r = 0.124, P = 0.007). The total intake of fat (g) (r = 0.16, P < 0.001), saturated fat (g) (r = 0.11, P = 0.01), CHO (g) (r = 0.17, P < 0.001), protein (g) (r = 0.10, P = 0.03), and added sugar (r = 0.09, P = 0.04) increased with greater time spent in MVPA. No relationship was detected for fiber intake. When participants were separated into physical activity categories, those in the lowest category consumed more trans-fat than both the middle and high category (P = 0.003). ConclusionsCollege students in this study tended to increase their overall intake as physical activity increased. The lack of relationship between physical activity and fiber intake in combination with the positive relationship detected with added sugar suggests that the quality of carbohydrate may decrease as students perform more physical activity. Funding SourcesNone to report.