- Email: [email protected]
P114
S60
Abstracts
P112 (continued) Saharan Africa is an exception. Unless major strides are made, hunger will increase, not decrease, over the next 10 years in this region. One standard response to chronic hunger has been the provision of food aid. As food aid programs have become increasingly sophisticated, an increasing body of evidence has illustrated what food aid is capable of achieving in terms of improvements in nutrition and health. Concomitantly, it is becoming increasingly clear that food aid is an imperfect tool that can cause significant and potentially severe economic harm to the rural poor who rely on agricultural production for their livelihoods. The paradox appears to be that while food aid may provide some benefit to health and nutrition, it may even save lives; it may also hinder longerterm efforts to foster sustainable development. These issues will be explored with particular attention on what is known about the nutritional gains possible through the provision of food aid as well as the economic consequences.
P113 Differences in Dietary Practices among College Students Based on Living Arrangements Ardith R. Brunt, PhD, RD, North Dakota State University, 351 EML, Fargo, ND 58105, [email protected]; Yeong S. Rhee, PhD, RD, [email protected]; Li Zhong, MS candidate, [email protected] The purpose of this research was to evaluate the differences in dietary intake and other health behaviors that may be dependent on living arrangements. In an introductory nutrition class at the beginning of the semester, 519 students completed a 42-item Diet Variety Questionnaire identifying the foods each had consumed in the previous three days. Living arrangements were assessed by a single multiple choice item. Results showed the student’s ages ranged from 18-25 years: 31% were males. More than half the students lived off-campus (54%) with some living with parents (6%). The rest (40%) lived on campus. Students who lived off-campus had a higher overall body mass index (BMI) (P ⫽ .009). Off-campus students were more likely to be overweight (BMI ⬎25 kg/m2) (P ⫽ .05), whereas those on-campus were more likely have a BMI ⬍19 kg/m2 (P ⫽ .01). Dietary differences showed that off-campus students were less likely to consume milk desserts (P ⫽ .008), tomatoes (P ⫽ .02), melon (P ⫽ .0007), and other grains (P ⫽ .01), but were more likely to consume salty snacks (P ⫽ .05), alcohol (P ⬍ .0001) and fats/oils (P ⫽ .013). Students who lived off-campus consumed all categories of fruits (P ⫽ .004) and vegetables (P ⫽ .01) less frequently. Those who lived on-campus consumed all sweets (P ⫽ .02) less frequently than those who lived off-campus. There were
no differences in frequency of consumption of all dairy products (P ⫽ .08), meat, meat alternatives, or grains. In conclusion, dietary practices appear more healthful for those who live on-campus compared to those who live off-campus.
P114 Enhancing an Instrument to Evaluate Fruit and Vegetable Self-Efficacy among Youth Marilyn Swanson, PhD, RD, CSREES-USDA, Children’s Nutrition Research Center, 1100 Bates Street, Houston, TX 77030, [email protected]; Tom Baranowski, PhD, Children’s Nutrition Research Center, [email protected]; Kathy Watson, MS, Children’s Nutrition Research Center, [email protected]; Debbe Thompson, PhD, RD, Children’s Nutrition Research Center, [email protected]; Christine Bachman, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of HoustonDowntown, [email protected]; Ken Resnicow, PhD, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, [email protected]; Janice Baranowski, MPH, RD, Children’s Nutrition Research Center, [email protected]; Karen Cullen, DrPH, RD, Children’s Nutrition Research Center, [email protected] Self-efficacy has been reported as the single most important correlate of fruit and vegetable intake in youth. Although a Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Fruit and Vegetables for students has been used for a number of years, its correlations with behavior were small and practitioners were concerned with the amount of time that it took youth to complete the questionnaire. Item Response Theory (IRT) analysis of the original scale revealed that items did not cover the easier and the more difficult ends of the self efficacy continuum. The goal of this research was to improve the Self Efficacy Questionnaire for Fruit and Vegetables and thereby enhance its correlation with behavior. Items were written to extend the scale to measure the extremes of the self efficacy continuum for both fruit and vegetables, separately. Using data collected from 333 middle school students with the revised questionnaire, IRT fit a latent variable to items. The revised questionnaire included 10 questions that could be self-administered by students on a personal digital assistant (PDA) with the number of response categories for some questions reduced. The Revised Self Efficacy Questionnaire for Fruit and Vegetables had internal consistency reliability coefficients that ranged from 0.70 to 0.85. The IRT scale offers some promise of tailoring nutrition education interventions to the participant’s point on the self efficacy scale and thereby make a difference in fruit and vegetable consumption of middle school students. This project was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Abstracts
P112 (continued) Saharan Africa is an exception. Unless major strides are made, hunger will increase, not decrease, over the next 10 years in this region. One standard response to chronic hunger has been the provision of food aid. As food aid programs have become increasingly sophisticated, an increasing body of evidence has illustrated what food aid is capable of achieving in terms of improvements in nutrition and health. Concomitantly, it is becoming increasingly clear that food aid is an imperfect tool that can cause significant and potentially severe economic harm to the rural poor who rely on agricultural production for their livelihoods. The paradox appears to be that while food aid may provide some benefit to health and nutrition, it may even save lives; it may also hinder longerterm efforts to foster sustainable development. These issues will be explored with particular attention on what is known about the nutritional gains possible through the provision of food aid as well as the economic consequences.
P113 Differences in Dietary Practices among College Students Based on Living Arrangements Ardith R. Brunt, PhD, RD, North Dakota State University, 351 EML, Fargo, ND 58105, [email protected]; Yeong S. Rhee, PhD, RD, [email protected]; Li Zhong, MS candidate, [email protected] The purpose of this research was to evaluate the differences in dietary intake and other health behaviors that may be dependent on living arrangements. In an introductory nutrition class at the beginning of the semester, 519 students completed a 42-item Diet Variety Questionnaire identifying the foods each had consumed in the previous three days. Living arrangements were assessed by a single multiple choice item. Results showed the student’s ages ranged from 18-25 years: 31% were males. More than half the students lived off-campus (54%) with some living with parents (6%). The rest (40%) lived on campus. Students who lived off-campus had a higher overall body mass index (BMI) (P ⫽ .009). Off-campus students were more likely to be overweight (BMI ⬎25 kg/m2) (P ⫽ .05), whereas those on-campus were more likely have a BMI ⬍19 kg/m2 (P ⫽ .01). Dietary differences showed that off-campus students were less likely to consume milk desserts (P ⫽ .008), tomatoes (P ⫽ .02), melon (P ⫽ .0007), and other grains (P ⫽ .01), but were more likely to consume salty snacks (P ⫽ .05), alcohol (P ⬍ .0001) and fats/oils (P ⫽ .013). Students who lived off-campus consumed all categories of fruits (P ⫽ .004) and vegetables (P ⫽ .01) less frequently. Those who lived on-campus consumed all sweets (P ⫽ .02) less frequently than those who lived off-campus. There were
no differences in frequency of consumption of all dairy products (P ⫽ .08), meat, meat alternatives, or grains. In conclusion, dietary practices appear more healthful for those who live on-campus compared to those who live off-campus.
P114 Enhancing an Instrument to Evaluate Fruit and Vegetable Self-Efficacy among Youth Marilyn Swanson, PhD, RD, CSREES-USDA, Children’s Nutrition Research Center, 1100 Bates Street, Houston, TX 77030, [email protected]; Tom Baranowski, PhD, Children’s Nutrition Research Center, [email protected]; Kathy Watson, MS, Children’s Nutrition Research Center, [email protected]; Debbe Thompson, PhD, RD, Children’s Nutrition Research Center, [email protected]; Christine Bachman, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of HoustonDowntown, [email protected]; Ken Resnicow, PhD, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, [email protected]; Janice Baranowski, MPH, RD, Children’s Nutrition Research Center, [email protected]; Karen Cullen, DrPH, RD, Children’s Nutrition Research Center, [email protected] Self-efficacy has been reported as the single most important correlate of fruit and vegetable intake in youth. Although a Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Fruit and Vegetables for students has been used for a number of years, its correlations with behavior were small and practitioners were concerned with the amount of time that it took youth to complete the questionnaire. Item Response Theory (IRT) analysis of the original scale revealed that items did not cover the easier and the more difficult ends of the self efficacy continuum. The goal of this research was to improve the Self Efficacy Questionnaire for Fruit and Vegetables and thereby enhance its correlation with behavior. Items were written to extend the scale to measure the extremes of the self efficacy continuum for both fruit and vegetables, separately. Using data collected from 333 middle school students with the revised questionnaire, IRT fit a latent variable to items. The revised questionnaire included 10 questions that could be self-administered by students on a personal digital assistant (PDA) with the number of response categories for some questions reduced. The Revised Self Efficacy Questionnaire for Fruit and Vegetables had internal consistency reliability coefficients that ranged from 0.70 to 0.85. The IRT scale offers some promise of tailoring nutrition education interventions to the participant’s point on the self efficacy scale and thereby make a difference in fruit and vegetable consumption of middle school students. This project was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.