TITLE: USE OF PERSONALIZED NUTRITIONMANAGEMENT SOFTWARE ENHANCES MEDICALSTUDENT LEARNING

AUTHOR(S): B.J. Scott, RD, MPH; S.T. St.Jeor, RD, Ph.D;University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada

LEARNING OUTCOME: To describe the integration of a novelnutrition learning tool in a first year medical school course onpatient care.

TEXT: As medical students learn more about the importance ofnutrition in the development, prevention, and treatment ofdisease, the introduction of new tools to assist them in providingnutrition services in their future clinical practice are needed. Inthis Introduction to Patient Care course, students complete anutrition self assessment and evaluate their current dietaryintake. This year a weight management software program wasmade available to each student which allowed them to analyzeand evaluate their dietary intake and physical activity. Thirtyeight of 54 students enrolled in the course completed anevaluation with specific questions related to the software.Students recorded diet and activity for 3-30 days with 60%indicating that the software was very easy to use, providing morenew information about their diet (40% selected “a great deal” or“quite a bit”) than about activity (57% selected “some” or “notvery much”). The majority felt that feedback provided was helpedreinforce “good” behaviors (87%) and motivate improvements indiet or activity (76%). Seventy four percent plan continued use ofthe software, and 68% are “somewhat likely” to recommend thistype of software to their future patients who need or want tomake dietary changes. These student evaluations indicate thatthe use of computerized nutrition assessment software is avaluable addition to their learning experience and that it mayinform and enhance their future clinical practice.

FUNDING DISCLOSURE: NHLBI HL03972-02 andHealtheTech, Inc.

TITLE: NUTRITION EDUCATION FOR CANCER PREVENTIONINFLUENCES LEARNING OUTCOMES

AUTHOR(S): V.R. Collins, MS, RD; J. Silagyi-Rebovich, EdD, RD;Department of Human Nutrition, Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC

LEARNING OUTCOME: To describe the relationship of a nutritioneducation curriculum developed by The American Cancer Society andchanges in nutrition knowledge scores among students enrolled in amedical science magnet high school.

TEXT: The current study involved a two-month time-series design toevaluate nutrition knowledge changes among students (n�28)enrolled in a medical science magnet high school, following a multi-session course on nutrition for cancer prevention (phase I). Phase IIinvolved randomization of students to learning application groupswhich used the nutrition information in one of three ways; localcommunity education using various educational materials(community group), peer-education of middle school students(classroom group), or broader community education using brochuresand a television public service announcement (communicationsgroup). Knowledge changes were measured with a researcher-developed objective examination administered at three intervals: atbaseline (pre-test), at the conclusion of phase I (mid-test), and at theconclusion of phase II (post-test) after randomly assigned groups usedthe information in three different applications. Paired t-test revealedthat pre- and mid-program mean knowledge scores were significantlydifferent (p�0.0001). Post-phase II analysis using Kruskal-Wallacerevealed no significant differences among the three applicationgroups. Results suggest that nutrition education for cancerprevention can influence short-term nutrition knowledge. Futureresearch initiatives should involve larger sample sizes and shouldassess knowledge changes over a longer period of time following theconclusion of a course.

FUNDING DISCLOSURE: Nutrition education curriculumprovided by The American Cancer Society.

TITLE: PSYCHOSOCIAL INFLUENCES ON FRUIT, VEGETABLE,AND HIGH-FAT FOOD INTAKE AMONG ADOLESCENT BOYS ANDGIRLS

AUTHOR(S): T.L. Daly, MS, RD; M. Zabinski, PhD, MPH; K.J. Calfas,PhD; A. Hagler, MS; G. Norman, PhD; K. Patrick, MD, MS; Universityof California, San Diego; Department of Family and PreventiveMedicine

LEARNING OUTCOME: To identify influences of adolescents dietaryintake patterns.

TEXT: Identifying mediators of dietary behavior change in adolescentscould greatly facilitate successful dietary interventions in thispopulation. This study examined the relationship between adolescent’sdietary intake of fruit, vegetables, and fat, and five hypothesizedmediators of behavior change (family influence, peer influence, pros,cons, and self-efficacy) in a sample of 453 adolescents (meanage�12.74, range�11-15, 52.1% girls, 54% white) in the PACE� forAdolescents study. The Minnesota Nutrient Data System (NDS)assessed dietary intake at baseline. Hierarchical regression resultsindicated that, when controlling for age and BMI, family support wasthe only significant predictor of fruit and vegetable intake (p�.001) andthe model accounted for 4.8% of the variance in fruit and vegetableintake. In addition, family support was a significant predictor of fruitand vegetable intake when analyzed separately by girls (p�.01) andboys (p�.05). Family support was also a predictor of percent caloriesfrom fat (p�.02). When controlling for age, dietary fat pros (p�.05) andcons (p�.01) were significantly related to percent calories from fat andthe overall model accounted for 3.2% of the variance. Peer influencewas not a strong predictor of intake in this age group. Findingsindicate that family support is consistently related to adolescent intakeof fruit, vegetables, and fat for this age group. Since it accounted for asmall proportion of the variance, other potential mediators of thishealth behavior need to be examined.

FUNDING DISCLOSURE: This project was made possible byfunding from the National Cancer Institute, Grant #7 R01 CA81495.

TITLE: TEACHING 1ST GRADERS THE BASICS OF HEALTHYEATING BEGINNING WITH THE FOOD GUIDE PYRAMID

AUTHOR(S): M. Chaudoir, MS; T. Holmes, PhD, RD; C.B.Hollenbeck, PhD; L. McProud, PhD, RD; San Jose State University,San Jose, CA

LEARNING OUTCOME: Participants will be able to describe theeffectiveness of teaching nutrition education to a group of firstgraders.

TEXT: Nutrition education that is age appropriate and deliveredearly can be a first step to establishing and maintaining life-longhealthy eating habits. This study measured the ability of 1st gradersto learn and retain specific nutrition information. Nineteen 1st gradestudents participated in eight one-hour lessons about the Food GuidePyramid (FGP). A pre/post-test measured improvement in theplacement of foods in the FGP. The pre-test was conducted one weekprior to the first lesson. Each one-hour lesson focused on one foodgroup. Age appropriate activities were used to teach placement offoods into the appropriate food group, nutrients of importance, andwhy students should choose a variety of foods from each food group.Throughout the study period the classroom teacher reinforced FGPconcepts incorporating relevant spelling words, and homeworkassignments. One week after the 8th lesson an identical post-test wasadministered. Paired t-test analysis showed a significantimprovement in the ability of the students to place the food picturesin the correct food group (mean �SD of 4.8�2.7 to 16.4�3.2 correctanswers; p�0.001). In the pre-test none of the students placed all 18food pictures correctly, while 10 (56%) placed all 18 correctly on thepost-test. None of the students placed all three “extras” correctly atthe pre-test, while 16 (89%) of students placed all three correctly onthe post-test. Results of this study clearly indicate that children asearly as 1st grade can learn and retain concepts related to nutrition.

FUNDING DISCLOSURE:

MONDAY, OCTOBER 4

POSTER SESSION: PROFESSIONAL SKILLS/EDUCATION/MANAGEMENT/FOOD SERVICE/CULINARY

Journal of THE AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION / A-37