ResearchPerspectives in PracticeThe University of New Hampshire's Young Adult Health Risk Screening Initiative
Section snippets
Design and Study Population
Prior to initiation of Young Adult Health Risk Screening Initiative, the protocol was reviewed and approved by the University of New Hampshire Institutional Review Board for inclusion of human subjects. The Young Adult Health Risk Screening Initiative is a cross-sectional study that began as a pilot study in 2004. Each term since the fall of 2005, students enrolled in an introductory nutrition course have been recruited for participation. This course fulfills a general education biological
Results
Subject characteristics are presented in Table 1. Approximately 82% (1,814 of 2,220) of enrolled students agreed to participate in the Young Adult Health Risk Screening Initiative; 1,701 of these students met the target age range. The sample was comprised of 28% males and 72% females. Mean age of the males and females was 19 years. The vast majority were white students, with the remaining 6% represented by a mix of racial and ethnic minorities. The class distribution by major indicated <25%
Discussion
Results from the Young Adult Health Risk Screening Initiative indicate that many students are overweight, do not engage in recommended amounts of physical activity, are at increased health risk for chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, based on biochemical screening indicators, and have diets that do not meet recommended intakes for key nutrients. Overweight rates are similar to those reported by Brunt and colleagues (37) and Wharton and colleagues (38). Likewise, reported
Conclusions
This article presents results from a classroom-based research project and provides strategies through which institutions of higher education can begin to gather in-depth nutrition and health data on young adults. The study demonstrates that it is possible to assess student dietary practices and health risk status. Anthropometric measurements, biological assessments, clinical measures dietary analysis, and survey results indicate that many college-aged students have one or more risk factors for
J. D. Burke is director of dietetic internship and clinical assistant professor, Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham.
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2013, Nutrition ResearchCitation Excerpt :Regression models were not constructed for SBP, DBP, and TC because there was only 1 subject with an elevated SBP, no women had elevated DBP, and no men had elevated TC. A recent study by Burke et al [4] reported that 86% of college students aged 18 to 24 years had either elevated SBP or elevated DBP and 27% had elevated TC. The difference in prevalence rates could be explained by the use of different cut points, as the present study defined the presence of risk as BP of at least 130/85 mm Hg (National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III), whereas Burke et al used BP of at least 120/80 mm Hg.
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J. D. Burke is director of dietetic internship and clinical assistant professor, Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham.
R. A. Reilly is a clinical associate professor, Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham.
J. S. Morrell is a lecturer, Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham.
I. E. Lofgren is an assistant professor, Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston; at the time of the study, she was a lecturer in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham.