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College students have poor nutrition habits and often exhibit at-risk weight control behaviors; yet, health promotion efforts on campuses often target other risk behaviors such as alcohol and tobacco use. The goal of this study was to determine program content and examine the feasibility of a webbased nutrition education program for college students using innovative applications of tailoring, targeting and personalization of information. Comprehensive program planning entailed three phases: focus groups and use of concept mapping methodology, prototype web program development, and feasibility testing of the prototype. Results of concept mapping suggested that students and experts agreed on the relative importance of the major content areas unique to the college audience. A prototype web program, informed by health promotion theories, was developed and evaluated. Students and college health professionals participated in the feasibility evaluation, which included acceptance and usability testing of the prototype. Mean scores were computed for the acceptance ratings that indicated that the prototype web program was not only feasible, but also compelling and relevant for the college audience. In conclusion, a tailored, webbased interactive nutrition program could potentially be used to provide individualized nutrition information to encourage college students to adopt healthy eating behaviors. KeywordsCollege students; Nutrition education; Website; Internet; Concept mapping; Tailoring BackgroundNutrition education is now an established and urgent health promotion priority for all age groups (Anderson, Shapiro, & Lundgren, 2003). In college settings, however, other health issues such as alcohol, drug, and tobacco use have often taken precedence in campus policy due to acute consequences for these specific risk behaviors. But despite the obvious importance of adopting healthful eating practices, college students tend to engage in a number of problematic eating behaviors, including unhealthy dieting, skipping meals, high *Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 617 332 6028; fax: +1 617 332 1820. E-mail address: tcousineau@inflexxion.com (T.M. Cousineau). NIH Public Access NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript intake of fast foods, low intake of fruits and vegetables, and minimal consumption of dairy products (Cotunga & Vickery, 1994;Douglas & Collins, 1997;Huang, Harris, Lee, Nazir, Born and Kaur, 2003;Matvienko, Lewis, & Schafer, 2001). In addition, the percentage of children and adolescents who are overweight has doubled in the last 30 years (CDC, 2002) and the prevalence of obesity and related mortality rates continue to rise in adults Mokdad et al., 2005). Notably, although unwanted weight gain can occur at any age, it most commonly occurs between 18 and 34 years of age (Williamson, Kahn, Remington, & Anda, 1990). In fact, the largest increase in obesity between 1990 and 2000 occurred in 18-29 year olds (Freedman, Khan, Serdula, Galuska, & Dietz, 2002; suggesting that health p...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that 16-33% of children and adolescents in the United States are overweight or obese, making this the number one nutritional disease of this group. The prevalence appears to be increasing annually, as are the associated consequences. Moreover, the CDC estimates that less than 50% of adolescents are physically active on a regular basis. In order to improve the health of these individuals, an intervention must be focused to modify these behaviors. Facilitating the understanding of proper nutrition and need for physical activity among adolescents will likely prevent health problems such as overweight and obesity and the development of chronic diseases later in life. Despite these concerns, adolescents remain one of the most underserved populations in terms of preventive services. In the past, health education interventions have shown increases in knowledge; however, the ultimate goal of these programs is to positively impact behavior. To accomplish this, we must focus on the learning styles of "today's" adolescents. Computer-based interventions allow for individualized strategies to promote healthy lifestyles. A computer-based intervention program has the potential to elicit a greater behavior change in comparison to a traditional didactic intervention program.

Qualitative and quantitative methodologies were used to determine beliefs and practices of Eastern Orthodox Christians in a community in the United States with regard to Church prescribed fasting. Considerable variation was discerned regarding beliefs of what foods should be avoided and when. Actual fasting practices were even more heterogeneous. A model was developed of positive and negative influences upon fasting according to Eastern Orthodox Christian doctrine. Negative influences included health beliefs, living in a nonOrthodox society, and the moral aspect of the Church teachings on fasting.