Premium
Food‐related behaviors of international college students
Author(s) -
Dixon Zisca,
Vaccaro Joan A.,
Tellez Christine,
Harper Meredith,
Huffman Fatma G.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.26.1_supplement.635.5
Subject(s) - ethnic group , calorie , medicine , white (mutation) , demography , gerontology , psychology , biology , sociology , anthropology , biochemistry , gene
Objective To examine adherence to dietary requirements in first‐time residential students. Methods Analysis of variance using data from 24‐hour recalls and MyPyramid tracker was performed for multiethnic students (N= 219) with informed consent. Results The ethnic composition was 46% Hispanic, 26% White non‐Hispanic, 22% Black non‐Hispanic, and 6% other. The majority of students did not adhere to the recommended guidelines (DGA) for daily calories (n=89, 65% females; n=63, 77% males) and sodium intake (n=93, 68% females; n=66, 81% males). Lack of adherence to DGA differed by ethnicity for female students: Black non‐Hispanic females consumed 149 Kcal more; whereas, White non‐Hispanics and Hispanic females consumed less [−3.0, – 250 Kcal, respectively (p=0.006)]. DGA differences in females by ethnicity were for meat and beans (p=0.009), carbohydrates (p=0.003), and sodium (p=0.002). Conclusions The results of this study suggest the need for campaigns on college campuses to promote healthy eating, targeting freshmen. These findings imply that restrictions for the amount of sodium in prepared foods on campus may need to be considered as a policy change.