Impact of a Dietary Education Intervention on Heart Disease Risk in College Students

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is increasingly evident in younger populations. Two traditional CHD biomarkers are elevated total cholesterol (TC) (>200mg/dL) and glucose (GLC) concentrations (>100 mg/dL). The Health It Up Study examined diet and markers of CHD risk in college students at the University of Rhode Island before and after an intervention in a general nutrition class. The intervention focused on diet and physical activity to reduce CHD risk. Biochemical data was collected using a Cholestech LDX analyzer and dietary data was collected using food screeners. Mean age was 19.3±1.4 years, mean BMI was 23.5±3.6 kg/m 2 , and the sample consisted of 18% males and 82% females. A mixed between‐within subjects ANOVA assessed the impact of attendance on participants' glucose concentrations from baseline to post‐intervention. There was a significant interaction between glucose change and attendance group (groups = 0, 1–3, 2–4 classes attended), F=3.45, p=0.04, partial η 2 =0.08. There was a large main effect for time, F=19.71, p<0.001, partial η 2 =0.20, with all three groups showing a reduction in glucose concentrations from baseline to post‐intervention. The main effect for group was not significant. The main effect for time was significant in TC, HDL‐C and TC:HDL‐C ratio. Diet and physical activity education embedded in a college class may be a way to decrease CHD risk factors in young adults.