Assessing Physical Activity, Fruit, Vegetable, and Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake Patterns of College Students in Kansas.

OBJECTIVE

To test the effectiveness of a 15-month intervention for reducing sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake among college students and assess fruit and vegetable (F/V) intake and physical activity (PA) habits and their relationship to SSB intake.

DESIGN

Randomized, controlled study.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 156 college students (aged 18-24 years) from a Kansas university, mostly female (72%), white (89%), and freshmen (51%).

INTERVENTION

Two-staged intervention included participants receiving: (1) 3 weekly stage-tailored messages on healthful behaviors for 10 weeks; and (2) 3 monthly stage-tailored messages and 1 monthly e-mail encouraging a visit to the portal page, after the 3-month physical assessment.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Stages of change for PA and F/V intake, self-reported PA scores, self-reported F/V intake, and SSB intake habits.

ANALYSIS

Generalized linear mixed models and linear regression models were used to test changes and associations among outcome measures.

RESULTS

No significant decrease occurred in SSB consumption (P > .05) among intervention participants. Both control and intervention groups recorded low F/V intake and moderate PA scores.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Low F/V intake and high SSB intake evident among study participants may pose risk for unwanted weight gain and obesity-related conditions. Furthermore, college campuses can continue to support an environment conducive for being physically active, while promoting healthy eating behaviors.