Date of Award

Summer 8-24-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Food Science

First Advisor

Simone Camel

Abstract

Every year, millions of young adults attend college. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists heart disease and diabetes as the top health concerns for minority Americans. African American and Hispanic/Latino communities could see a reduction in illness risk by promoting physical activity and healthy eating habits such as the Mediterranean Diet. Research indicates that young adults may benefit significantly from taking charge of their eating habits at the crucial point in their transition from high school to college. By determining the dietary patterns of minority college students, as related to the Mediterranean diet principles, this study intends to evaluate the foundation from which intervention studies may be developed. This research aims to determine the level of adherence to the Mediterranean diet principles in college students and to evaluate whether there is a difference in adherence between racial groups. As dietary patterns influence overall health and are a strategy to prevent chronic disease, specifically those prevalent in minority populations, findings could inform future health promotion and disease prevention interventions. A cross-sectional online survey design was used to study using enrolled U.S. college students aged 18-26 (63% women and 37% men). Adherence to Mediterranean diet principles was measured by the KIDMED 2.0 validated tool. The self-administered questionnaire included 38 items, including three demographic items, sixteen dietary questions about adherence to the Mediterranean diet, five physical activity questions, and two self-reported height and weight. The KIDMED 2.0 Questionnaire Score tool is used for dietary questions. It took approximately 15 minutes to complete the questionnaire. The sample was recruited using a network sampling strategy via email, flyers, announcements, and social media postings. Of the 206 participants who completed the initial online questionnaire, 68 were excluded for not meeting the study criteria, as they were not within the eligible age range. The remaining 138 participants were included in the analysis. The ages ranged from 18 to 26 years, and all were college students. Most participants were female (n=87, 63.0%) and White (n=55, 39.9%). Table 1 shows White, Hispanic-origin participants made up 10.9% (n= 15, 10.9%), African American/Blacks 27.5% (n=38), Black, Hispanic-origin 8.7% (n= 12), and the other minorities (Native American, Indian, Asian, Middle Eastern, Biracial, Multiracial). The calculated BMI from the self-reported height and weight resulted in two participants (2.2%) being categorized as underweight, 51 (37%) were categorized as normal, 49 (35.5%) were categorized as overweight, 24 (17.4 %) were categorized as obese I, and 3 (2.2%) were categorized as obese II. Of 138 participants, 130 (94.2%) completed the KIDMED 2.0 component of the questionnaire. The scores are categorized into three categories ≤3 poor diet quality, 4-7 average diet, and ≥8 good diet quality. Asian /Other minorities had the highest mean KIDMED 2.0 score, followed by Blacks and Blacks of Hispanic origin and Whites. Whites of Hispanic origin had the lowest mean score for the KIDMED 2.0. A one-way ANOVA was run to compare the scores between the races. A significant difference was found [F (4, 125) = 2.93, p = .024]. Post hoc comparisons using the Tukey HSD test indicated that the mean score for Whites of Hispanic origin was significantly different from the Asian /Other minorities’ race group. In the total sample, only 24.5% of the participants were categorized as having “good” diet quality in terms of the Mediterranean diet. In this sample, Blacks had the highest proportion (29.4%) in the highest quality category, followed by Asian/Other (23.5%). Whites (44.2%) had the highest proportion of participants in the lowest diet quality category, followed by Blacks (30.8%). Analysis of individual tool items as they relate to food categories consumed describes practical differences among racial groups that could enhance specificity of future education and studies. A one-way ANOVA was run to compare the mean BMIs between the race categories. No significant differences were found, [F (4, 124) = 1.27, p = 0.28]. A oneway ANOVA was run to compare the mean BMIs between KIDMED 2.0 categories. No significant differences were found, [F (2, 122) = 1.50, p = 0.23] A Pearson correlation was run to determine whether there was a relationship between BMI and KIDMED 2.0 scores, no significant relationship was found, r = -0.12, p = 0.17. This study demonstrated differences in the adherence rate to Mediterranean diet principles in college students using the KIDMED 2.0 tool, among racial groups. Overall, the majority of students had diets of poor-good quality diets with only approximately 30% reaching a quality level considered to promote health. Whites of Hispanic origin had the poorest adherence to the diet. Low adherence to the Mediterranean diet principles is contrary to preventing nutrition – related chronic disease in all races, and may more significantly affect racial minorities. The results of this study lay a foundation for planning future interventions by identifying specific food categories to target by racial groups.

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