Nutrient intake of college students following introduction of a campus food scholarship program

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of the Texas Woman’s University’s Food Scholarship Program on changes in students’ food security status, nutrient intake, and food group servings over a 10-week period. Students received fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy and meat products, as well as non-perishable foods, twice a month. Baseline and 10-week data were collected. Food security was measured using the United States Department of Agriculture 6 question survey. Nutrient intake and number of food group servings were analyzed using 3-day food records. Paired t-tests were performed (SPSS v25) to assess changes from baseline to 10-weeks. Significance was set at an alpha of 0.05. At 10-weeks, there was a significant increase in intake of protein, niacin, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and potassium intake, and in servings of vegetables.