Nutrition Awareness in Student Athletes Proper diet is essential in leading a healthy lifestyle for athletes, both on the field and in the classroom. There are some barriers to maintaining a healthy diet due to limited food options, a busy schedule, or limited money on hand. To accomplish the intake of appropriate nutrition, one must attempt to consume the recommended quantities of a variety of nutrients, while keeping within caloric needs. The purpose of conducting this study was to determine the eating habits of college athletes and to instill an overall awareness of their diet. This self- awareness may influence a healthier lifestyle and may contribute to a life-long commitment to proper nutrition. Waynesburg University collegiate athletes completed a survey about their current eating habits, and subsequently, kept track of their fruit and vegetable intake over a period of five weeks. It was expected that the process of recording fruit and vegetable intake in a food log may have an effect on athletes’ food choices and attitude toward nutrition, as compared to a control group which did not record their fruit and vegetable intake. The data was analyzed by a TTEST and average + SEM was calculated. Slight changes in the athletes’ diets were observed. Only the change in fruit consumption of the control group was statistically significant. Taylor Augustine, Dr. Marietta Wright Waynesburg University AbstractMethodsResults Participants A total of 12 Waynesburg University athletes were utilized for this study: 6 men and 6 women. The participants will be randomly separated into control and experimental groups. Procedure An initial survey was given to all participants, for the purpose of collecting a background diet. The focus was on fruit and vegetable intake specifically. Members of the experimental group recorded their vegetable and fruit intake for five weeks. Members of the control group completed two three-day fruit and vegetable logs: one at the beginning of the five-week time interval, and one at the conclusion of five weeks. A post survey was completed by every participant. Seven out of twelve athletes reported that the fruit and vegetable log influenced healthy food choices. Fruit and vegetable intake of the two groups were compared by statistical analysis. Fruit and vegetable consumption were averaged over a period of three days. This was done for the first three days and the final three days of the study. The data was analyzed by means of a TTEST: o Fruit and vegetable consumption, before and after, were compared for both groups. o Intake of the experimental group for the first three days was compared to that of the control group, and the intake of the experimental group for the last three days was compared to that of the control group. Standard deviation for each group was determined and the standard deviation of the mean (SEM) was calculated. The average + SEM is displayed in Figures 1 and 2. Conclusion The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of recording a fruit and vegetable log on athletes’ food choices and attitude toward nutrition. The data did not support the hypothesis. The experimental group increased their consumption of fruit slightly, but decreased in the average amount of vegetables. When statistically analyzed, the differences were not significant. The control group displayed a significant decrease in fruit consumption, but increased vegetable consumption slightly. The increase was not statistically significant. The experiment may be improved by including a larger number of athletes, thus increasing the sample size. The data may also be improved by averaging fruit and vegetable intake over a larger number of days. Athletes consumed quantities of fruits and vegetables generally less than what is recommended. The USDA recommends that men and women between the ages of 19 and 30 to consume the following: o Men: 2 cups of fruit and 3 cups of vegetables o Women: 2 cups of fruit and 2 ½ cups of vegetables Acknowledgements I would like to thank the Waynesburg University Athletes who participated in this study, Dr. Bush for his role in the comparison of the data, as well as Nancy Wrick and the Center for Research and Economic Development for the printing of this poster. References Deshpande, Sameer, Michael Basil, and Debra Basil. "Factors Influencing Healthy Eating Habits Among College Students: An Application of the Health Belief Model." Health Marketing Quarterly 26.2 (2009): Dietary Guidlines for Americans. Ch. 2, 4, (2010): 8-19, Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate. Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. The National Academy of sciences (2002/2005). Glanz, K. "Why Americans Eat What They Do Taste, Nutrition, Cost, Convenience, and Weight Control Concerns as Influences on Food Consumption." Journal of the American Dietetic Association (1998): He, F. J., C. A. Nowson, M. Lucas, and G. A. MacGregor. "Increased Consumption of Fruit and Vegetables Is Related to a Reduced Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: Meta-analysis of Cohort Studies." Journal of Human Hypertension 21.9 (2007): Ohtani, Masaru, Masaaki Sugita, and Kimiaki Maruyama. "Amino Acid Mixture Improves Training Efficiency in Athletes." The Journal of Nutrition (2006): 538S-43S. Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Whole Grains: Hearty Options for a Healthy Diet." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 21 July Web. 11 Apr Predictions Experimental group Fruit and vegetable consumption were expected to increase, resulting in an increased number of servings as compared to the beginning of the study. Participants were expected to experience an increased awareness of their diets and the nutrients that they were consuming on a daily basis. Control Group The number of fruit and vegetable servings consumed by participants at the conclusion of the study were expected to remain relatively equal to those consumed at the beginning of the study. Results Reporting in graph: ± SEM Figure 1 The consumption of the control group decreased by a significant amount. A slight increased is visualized in the experimental group, but the difference is not statistically significant Reporting in graph: ± SEM Figure 2 A slight increase in control group consumption and a slight decrease in the experimental group consumption are visualized; however, neither difference is statistically significant. Results Figure 3 The difference (after-before) was calculated for fruit and vegetable consumption in the control and experimental groups.