Plasma cholesterol concentrations, dietary fat intake, and cholesterol intake in pharmacy students.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of formal education on hyperlipidemia on pharmacy students' dietary fat consumption and plasma cholesterol concentrations over a 3-month period.

DESIGN

Prospective, open, nonrandomized, controlled trial.

SETTING

College of pharmacy.

PARTICIPANTS

First professional-year (P1) and second professional-year (P2) pharmacy students.

INTERVENTION

P2 students received 6 hours of formal education regarding cardiovascular risk factors and National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines for detection and treatment of hyperlipidemia.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Percentage of total caloric intake from fat and saturated fat and plasma cholesterol concentrations after 1 and 3 months.

RESULTS

Significant differences were found between the percentage of total caloric intake from total and saturated fat for P1 and P2 students at all time points, with P1 > P2. A significant time effect was also found for percentage of total caloric intake from total and saturated fat as well as dietary cholesterol consumption for both groups, indicating no net effect of the formal educational intervention. No differences were found in average percentage of total caloric intakes from total and saturated fat between our student sample and that of a national sample of Americans of similar age from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Series III (NHANES III). Female pharmacy students appeared to have lower plasma cholesterol concentrations than women of the same age group in the general American population.

CONCLUSION

Formal education did not alter students' percentage of total caloric intake from total and saturated fat or plasma cholesterol concentrations. Approximately 20% of pharmacy students may be eligible for more intensive diet and, perhaps, drug therapy for treatment of hypercholesterolemia.