Physical Activity and Fruit and Vegetable Intake among Black and White Female College Students at Two- and Four-Year Colleges and Universities

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Carla Berg, Emory University; Sherell Brown Goodwin, Emory University; Erin Stratton, Emory University; Lowe Kincaid, Emory University; Linda Grimsley, Albany State University; Jan Rodd, Albany State University; Catherine Williams, Albany State University; Cheri Mattox, Chattahoochee Technical College; Bruce Foster, Central Georgia Technical College
• Language: English
• Date: 2014
• Publisher: Scientific Research Publishing
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2014 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ojpm.2014.44029
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Open Journal of Preventive Medicine
• ISSN: 2162-2477
• Volume: 04
• Issue: 04
• Start Page: 229
• End Page: 239
• Grant/Funding Information: This research was supported by the National Cancer Institute (1K07CA139114-01A1; PI: Berg) and the Georgia Cancer Coalition (PI: Berg).
• Keywords: Physical Activity; Obesity; Female Health; College Students; Nutrition
• Research Categories: Psychology, Behavioral; Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

Objective We compared fruit and vegetable (FV) intake, physical activity (PA), and overweight/ obesity among Black and White females attending two- and four-year colleges. Methods We recruited 24,055 students at six colleges in the Southeast to complete an online survey, yielding 4840 responses (20.1% response rate). The current analyses focused on the 2276 Black and White females. Results Binary logistic regression analyses indicated that recommended FV intake among White females was associated with greater extraversion (Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.05, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.00, 1.11, p = 0.05) and greater conscientiousness (OR = 1.08, CI 1.02, 1.14, p = 0.01), whereas among Black females correlates included greater openness to experience (OR = 1.08, CI 1.01, 1.15, p = 0.03). Ordinal logistic regression analyses indicated that, among White females, greater PA was associated with attending a four-year college (Beta = 0.27, CI 0.01, 0.53, p = 0.04), whereas among Black females, correlates were with younger age (Beta = 0.01, CI 0.17, 0.03, p = 0.003) and greater emotional stability (Beta = 0.07, CI 0.01, 0.13, p = 0.02). Binary logistic regression analyses indicated that, among White females, being overweight or obese was associated with older age (OR = 1.08, CI 1.01, 1.16, p = 0.03), attending a two-year college (OR = 1.62, CI 1.22, 2.16, p = 0.001), and lower satisfaction with life (OR = 0.96, CI 0.94, 0.98, p = 0.002), whereas among Black females, being overweight or obese was associated with older age (OR = 1.87, CI 1.10, 1.28, p < 0.001). Conclusions Identifying factors related to obesity-related factors is critical in developing interventions targeting factors associated with overweight and obesity among Black and White females attending two- and four-year colleges. Moreover, understanding different college settings and the contextual factors associated with overweight/obesity is critical.