Effect of a Personal Health and Fitness Course on Dietary Intake, Physical Fitness and Attitudes toward Wellness among College Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if a college course in Personal Health and Fitness that includes Fitness Interns (FI) can impact dietary intake, physical fitness and attitudes towards a healthy dietary intake and physical activity among college students. Two different versions of the intervention were delivered as a component of a 3-credit hour undergraduate "Personal Health and Fitness" course. The content of this course included a classroom lecture, weekly homework and a weekly meeting with FI who was an upperclassmen who was enrolled in Exercise Physiology. During the first version of the intervention (Class 1, n=20) the subjects met with the FI once per week to complete assigned homework. Subjects exposed to the second intervention (Class 2, n=29) also met with a FI once per week to complete the homework assignment and to engage in at least 30 minutes of a physical fitness activity per week with the FI. The course content and homework was based upon the Theory of Planned Behavior and was designed to improve the dietary intake and physical activity of the subjects in both intervention groups. Control subjects (n=24) who volunteered for the study were not registered for "Personal Health and Fitness" and had no access to the course content or the FIs. During the first and last weeks of fall semester all subjects completed an assessment of their dietary intake, physical fitness and attitudes (control beliefs and outcome expectations).Both intervention groups exhibited significant (p<.05) reduced caloric intake and improvements in physical fitness and attitudes toward a healthy dietary intake and physical activity with Class 2 exhibiting a greater number of improvements compared to Class 1. The control group did not change on any outcome variables. These findings indicate the efficacy of a "Personal Health and Fitness" course on antecedents to weight gain among college students.

Peer Teaching Promotes Improved Knowledge and Attitudes about MyPlate and SuperTracker among College Students and Increases Self-Efficacy in Peer Nutrition Educators

“…The peer teaching by well-trained undergraduate nutrition majors to mixed majors in the FYE classes resulted in positive outcomes for both the participants and the PNEs. These results are congruent with other studies using peer education to improve overall wellness (Thompson et al, 2015;Topp et al, 2014;Khan et al, 2009).…”

“…The interns also benefitted from improving their oral communication skills and gaining experience in retail dietetics (Thompson et al, 2015). With adequate training and monitoring, peer education can be a successful method for improved health behavior and attitudes (Thompson et al, 2015;Topp et al, 2014;Khan et al, 2009).…”

“…Modeling the behavior of others, according to SCT, increases knowledge while developing the skills and strategies needed to manage the environment (Bandura, 1998). Peer education is a way for students to model healthy habits and can be an effective method for improving self-efficacy, perceptions, and attitudes toward healthy eating (Nickols-Richardson, Nelson, & Corbin, 2014) and physical activity (Topp et al, 2014). It provides a more student-centered environment and enhances learning for both educators and students (Gucciardi, Mach, & Mo, 2016).…”