Examining the association of student mental health and food security with college GPA

BACKGROUND

Low food security and poor mental health are a persistent concern for college students.

OBJECTIVE

Examine how food security and mental health are associated with college student's grade point average (GPA).

METHODS

American College Health Association (ACHA)-National College Health Assessment III survey data Spring 2020 of students from 75 US universities (n = 48,103) were utilized to examine relationships among mental health, food security and academic performance (GPA).

RESULTS

The majority of the population self-reported high food security (58.3%) and moderate psychological distress (50.8%). Very low food security (B = -.523, OR = .59, p < .001) and moderate psychological distress (B = -0.19, OR = .83, p < .001) were inversely associated with high GPA. Reduced food security was associated with worse mental health measures.

CONCLUSIONS

Food security and mental health are negatively associated with GPA. To improve student success, universities must enhance services that address food insecurity and mental health.

The Assessment of Energy Content and Density of a Self-Selected Meal with and without Avocado

Objectives

In a free-living intervention study, we determine if the inclusion of an avocado in a self-selected meal impacted its energy content (kcal) and energy density (kcal/g) as well as the energy content of the subsequent meal. We hypothesized that the inclusion of one avocado in a meal would impact both the energy content and density of that meal and the energy content of the subsequent meal.

Methods

Dietary data from 172 participants (mean age = 51 y) in the intervention arm of the Habitual Diet and Avocado Trial were collected via unannounced 24-hour recalls before and during the intervention. The energy density (kcal/g) of a meal containing avocado during intervention was compared with a corresponding non-avocado meal before the intervention. The energy contents of subsequent meals were likewise compared. Energy density was computed with and without beverages consumed at a meal. Differences were determined with t-tests.

Results

The daily mean energy intake before the intervention 1885 ± 758 kcal. During the intervention, the mean intake was 2065 ± 765 kcal indicating that the inclusion of avocado at meals resulted in a significant increase in total daily energy intake (p < 0.05). However, the total daily energy density remained the same (p = 0.18). Compared to the main meal without avocado, the inclusion of avocado at a comparable meal increased the energy content of the meal (breakfast: + 148 kcal, p = 0.0018; lunch: + 235 kcal, p = 0.005; and dinner: + 276 kcal, p = 0.001). However, the meal's energy density remained the same, whether or not beverages were taken into consideration. No significant changes in the energy content of the subsequent meal after the avocado meal were observed (p > 0.05).

Conclusions

 Among our free-living subjects, including a whole avocado at a meal increased the energy intake for that meal but did not increase its energy density or the energy content of the subsequent meal. Further analysis needs to be conducted to determine how this impacts body weight.

Funding Sources

HAT Avocado Board.

Bobbi Be Best: the development and evaluation of an audio program and discussion guide to promote exclusive breastfeeding in Cameroon, Central Africa

One risk factor for infant and childhood morbidity is not exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) during the first six months of life. Entertainment Education (EE) is a communication strategy consisting of placing educational information into television, movies, and radio programs. In developing countries this form of behavioral change communication has proven effective in addressing health-related issues; however, no research has determined if EE is effective in promoting EBF. The objective of this research was to develop an EE audio program and discussion guide and to determine if a series of four 15-minute episodes and post-listening discussion improved knowledge, perceived benefits, self-efficacy, and intention and decreased misconceptions and perceived barriers toward EBF in the Kumbo West Health District, Cameroon. Pregnant women and their partners were assigned to either the control group (N = 116; 74 women, 42 partners) or intervention group (N = 148; 99 women, 49 partners) based on expected date of delivery. All control and intervention group participants completed a questionnaire prior to listening to the first and after the last episode. Pre- and post-listening questionnaires were used to determine changes in the EBF knowledge, misconceptions, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, and intention variables as a result of exposure to the audio program. The Wilcoxon Sign Rank test showed significant improvement in all of the variables, except perceived barriers, within the intervention group (p < 0.05) and the Mann-Whitney test indicated significant differences between the control and intervention group in all of the variables (p < 0.05), indicating that using an audio program and discussion guide based on the EE model is an effective tool for promoting EBF in this setting. The strength of this approach is that it goes beyond simply telling women about what constitutes EBF, but addresses misconceptions and perceived barriers that may prevent women from practicing EBF for six months.

Does regular walnut consumption lead to weight gain?

Studies consistently show the beneficial effects of eating nuts, but as high-energy foods, their regular consumption may lead to weight gain. We tested if daily consumption of walnuts (approximately 12% energy intake) for 6 months would modify body weight and body composition in free-living subjects. Ninety participants in a 12-month randomized cross-over trial were instructed to eat an allotted amount of walnuts (28–56g) during the walnut-supplemented diet and not to eat them during the control diet, with no further instruction. Subjects were unaware that body weight was the main outcome. Dietary compliance was about 95% and mean daily walnut consumption was 35g during the walnut-supplemented diet. The walnut-supplemented diet resulted in greater daily energy intake (557kJ (133kcal)), which should theoretically have led to a weight gain of 3·1kg over the 6-month period. For all participants, walnut supplementation increased weight (0·4 (se 0·1) kg), BMI (0·2 (se 0·1) kg/m2), fat mass (0·2 (se 0·1) kg) and lean mass (0·2 (se 0·1) kg). But, after adjusting for energy differences between the control and walnut-supplemented diets, no significant differences were observed in body weight or body composition parameters, except for BMI (0·1 (se 0·1) kg/m2). The weight gain from incorporating walnuts into the diet (control→walnut sequence) was less than the weight loss from withdrawing walnuts from the diet (walnut→control sequence). Our findings show that regular walnut intake resulted in weight gain much lower than expected and which became non-significant after controlling for differences in energy intake.