College Students' Nutrition Challenges and Solutions

1. Eat Well To Be Well…Why is it so hard for college students? Jody Margolis, MS, RDN – Nutrition Programs Manager

2. Nutrition Services at UCI • Student Health Center Medical Nutrition Therapy • Student Wellness and Health Promotion Nutrition Workshops Nutrition Education

5. College Students’ eating habits • Meal skipping • High intake of fast foods • Low intake of fruits/vegetables • Minimal consumption of dairy products • Unhealthy dieting

7. SAD is an acronym for ?

8. UCI Student Diversity • 40.7% Asian • 24% Hispanic • 16.1% White • 4.1% 2 or more races • 1.8% Black or African American • .4% Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander

9. Barriers to a well-balanced diet

10. Food Insecurity • A state in which “consistent access to adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other resources at times during the year”

11. Factors leading to Food Insecurity • Increase in college tuition costs • Increase in cost of living • Increase in first-generation college students • Increase in low-income students • Lack of experience, knowledge and skills to manage food resources

13. Eating Disorders Do you ever make yourself sick because you feel uncomfortably full? Do you worry you have lost control over how much you eat? Have you recently lost more than one stone in a three month period? Do you believe yourself to be fat when others say you are too thin? Would you say that food dominates your life?

16. Prevention Messages • Unrealistic optimism • Don’t think they are at imminent risk • Think it’s genetic “so what’s the point” Connect health messaging to what students value: Looking good, athletic performance, academic success

18. Healthy Campus 2020 • Provides a framework for improving overall health status on campuses nationwide • Vision: campus communities in which all members live long, healthy lives • Mission: Identify current/on-going nationwide health improvement priorities

19. Obesity Facts • 32.3% obesity rate for 20-39y.o. • Obesity rates highest amongst Blacks (48.1%), Hispanics (42.5%), and Non-Hispanic Whites (34.5%)

20. Obesity Facts • % of children/teens overweight has doubled in last 3 years • Unwanted wt. gain occurs most commonly b/w 18-34 y.o. • 70% of college students gain weight during freshman year • By senior year of college obesity rates increase markedly

21. Obesity Risk Factors

22. Pre-diabetes • Definition: Blood glucose higher than normal but lower than diabetes range • Hgb A1c 5.7-6.4% • FBS 100-125 mg/dl 30% of those with pre-diabetes will develop T2DM in 5 years; 70% in their lifetime

23. Pre-diabetes Risk Factors • Weight – BMI>25; BMI>23 for Asian Americans; abdominal adiposity • Lack of exercise • Family history (parent/sibling with t2dm) • Race/ethnicity • Age (45 or over) • High blood pressure/high cholesterol • h/o gestational diabetes or delivery of baby >9#

24. Pre-Diabetes Action Plan • Referral to a dietitian • Physical Activity • Healthy Food Choices • Medication • Weight Loss • National Diabetes Prevention Program

25. How can we make a difference? Increase Awareness – nutrition education/counseling Increase availability – Fresh HUB, Healthier Vending, Farmers markets, edible garden, Dining Life skills building – financial wellness, time management, stress management, sleep hygiene Advocacy – increase nutrition/dietitian services on campus

27. Apps, podcasts, and blogs (oh my!) Apps • Mealime (recipes) • Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock (sleep hygiene) • Insight Timer (meditation) • In the Moment (mindful eating) • Recovery Record (eating disorders) • Nike Training, 7 Minute Fitness, Couch to 5K (exercise) Podcasts • Nutrition Matters • Food Psyche • Eating Disorder Recovery Blogs • Stone Soup, The Feed (foodandnutrition.org) Websites: • Foodandnutrition.org, eatright.org, choosemyplate.gov (nutrition)

28. Resources • American Diabetes Association “Toward Reducing the Diabetes Pandemic: College Students’ Perspectives of Type 2 Diabetes, Reyes-Velazquez and Hoffman, E., Diabetes Spectrum 2011- Aug: 24 (3) 161-168. • Araneta, M., et al “Optimum BMI Cut Points to Screen Asian Americans for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Diabetes Care, May 2015 38 (5): 814-20 • CDC.gov – obesity facts • Cousineau, t., et al “Web-based nutrition education for college students: is it feasible?” PMC 2011 – April • Healthy Campus 2020 - ACHA/NCHA Data 2016 UC Global Food Initiative – Student Food Access and Security Study 2016 • Live Well NYU • National Diabetes Prevention Program • NHANES • Radcliffe, S , “Nearly 60% of College Students are Food Insecure “ Healthline News – by. Jan 2014 UC Berkeley Healthy Meeting & Event Guide • SCOFF Questionnaire – King’s College London, Section of Eating Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Eating Disorders Unit • SMILES Trial - Jacka FN, et al., BMC Med. 2017 • UC Irvine Office of Institutional Research - Diversity Statistics 2016 • UCLA Center for Health Policy Research – Majority of California adults have Prediabetes • WHO International Obesity Task Force

29. QUESTIONS? VISIT US AT: STUDENTWELLNESS.UCI.EDU • G319 STUDENT CENTER | 949-824-9355 FIND US: UCISTUDENTWELLNESS