Background: Dietary patterns that include recommended servings of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dietary fiber, and dairy, combined with regular physical activity and frequent breakfast consumption are optimal choices for weight loss or weight maintenance over time. College students are at an increased risk for weight gain due to environmental and behavioral changes that are associated with decreased dietary quality and physical inactivity. Preventing weight gain in college students may have a profound impact on prevalence of overweight or obesity later in life. Objective: To examine associations between weight change and dietary patterns in college students. Design: A longitudinal observational study. Dietary intake and physical activity were self-reported on seven-day food records and compared to dietary guidelines for compliance with recommendations. Subjects/Setting: Data from 80 students enrolled in a fall semester introductory nutrition course at a large state university were analyzed in the fall and spring semester . Main outcome measures: Daily servings of total fruit (fruit and juice), total vegetables (fried and non-fried), dairy (regular and low-fat), whole grains, and dietary fiber, breakfast consumption, body weight changes and physical activity. Statistical Analysis Performed: Associations between diet quality and weight change were analyzed using Chi-square analysis. Weight change was analyzed by diet quality and breakfast consumption using t-test and by metabolic equivalents (METHRS/day) using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) (p<0.05). Significant associations were analyzed by Pearson's correlation (two-sided, p<0.05). Results: Weight and body mass index (BMI kg/m2) were significantly higher compared to baseline. The majority of students did not meet recommendations for daily servings of fruit, vegetable, dairy, whole grains, and dietary fiber. Higher diet quality was significantly associated with more frequent breakfast consumption and students who maintained or lost weight reported significantly higher intakes of total fruit, low-fat dairy and whole grains. Conclusion: Failure to meet dietary guidelines resulting in lower diet quality was distinctive of this population and was associated with significant changes in body weight over one academic year. Applications: Educational interventions aimed at improving diet quality may inhibit weight gain commonly seen in college students. / Master of Science

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Aging, obesity and increased waist circumference (WC) increases risk for metabolic syndrome (MetS). MetS is a cluster of symptoms (elevated WC, triglycerides, blood pressure, fasting glucose, and decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C]) increasing risk for chronic disease. Low-energy dense (LED) diets, emphasizing whole food eating patterns, have not been examined in combination with moderate (mod)/high-intensity physical activity (PA) or dietary protein levels to determine their impact on changes in body weight (BW) and WC in premenopausal, abdominally obese women. PURPOSE: To determine the effect of two 16-wk diet and PA interventions, differing in protein intake, on BW, WC, MetS risk factors, dietary patterns, energy density (ED), and min of Mod-Hi PA. METHODS: Healthy, abdominally obese (WC≥80cm) women (n=38; 34±10y) were randomly assigned to either a 15 or 25% (+18 g/d whey protein) en from protein diet. Individualized LED diets plans decreased energy intake (EI) by ~300kcal/d; PA 5 d/wk (30-60 min/d) consisted of supervised, high-intensity Zumba classes 3d/wk (≥65%HRmax; ≥6METs) and self-selected mod-intensity PA (≥3METs) 2d/wk. Servings of fruits/vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat/fat-free dairy (LFD), fiber, high calorie beverages (BEV), ED, and PA were monitored before (T1), during (T2) and after (T3) the intervention using repeated measures ANOVA. Bonferroni simultaneous testing procedure was used in analysis of multiple comparisons. RESULTS: At T1, groups did not differ in dietary patterns, PA, BW, WC, or MetS risk. Groups responded similarly to the interventions so data were combined, with BW and WC decreasing (p<0.0001) by -4.8±2.7kg and -7.1±3.6cm, respectively. Comparing T1 vs. T2, there were increases (p<0.0001) in fruits/vegetables, (Δ=+1.5 ser/d), whole grains (Δ=+1.0 ser/d), LFD (Δ=+0.5 ser/d), fiber (Δ=+5.7g/1000 kcal), and decreases in BEV (Δ=-165 kcal/d) and ED (Δ=-0.55 kcal/g). During the intervention high-intensity Zumba PA was 87min/wk; total min of all mod-intensity PA increased by 75 min/d (p<0.0001); VO2max improved from 29.3±4.7 (T1) to 34.4±5.3 (T3) mL/kg/min (p<0.0001). Triglycerides significantly decreased (-24±52 mg/dl; p=0.006), no other significant changes occurred in MetS risk factors. Exploratory analysis indicated that increases in fruits/vegetables and LFD, and decreases ED were associated with BW loss, while increases in whole grains, fiber, LFD, and min/wk of high-intensity PA (Zumba) were associated with WC reductions. CONCLUSION: For abdominally obese women, an intervention focused on LED foods and high-intensity PA significantly reduced BW and WC and improved dietary patterns regardless of protein intake. Helping clients identify a few key factors that positively promote reductions in BW and WC may improve weight loss success, while reducing MetS risk factors. / Graduation date: 2012