Abstract
Objective
To examine self-regulation of food intake among college students.
Design
Randomized cross-over study completed between September and November, 2019.
Setting
A large public university, Florida International University in South Florida.
Participants
A total of 60 undergraduate college students, mean age of 19.8 ± 1.43 years old, 62%
female, 74% Hispanic, 76% White.
Intervention(s)
Participants attended 2 trials 1 week apart. During each visit, students were offered
a preload drink (either 0 or 210 kcal) followed by a buffet-style lunch. Food intake
was estimated using weights and pictures of the plates before and after eating and
was compared between the 2 sessions.
Main Outcome Measure(s)
Self-regulation by calculating compensation indices (COMPX) and their correlation
with students’ body mass index (BMI).
Analysis
Intake differences were examined using Welch and t tests. Regression analysis was
used to assess correlations.
Results
Students exhibited the ability to calorie compensate when intake is manipulated with
a mean COMPX of 95.57 ± 71.19. No score was perfect. There was a significant correlation
between BMI and COMPX scores (F = 10.71, P < 0.001, r2 = 0.292). Food choices differed between different BMI categories.
Conclusions and Implications
Participants showed some degree of self-regulation, which suggests opportunities for
creating effective interventions to improve health status and promote a more sustainable
method to control consumption among college students.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
December 22,
2021
Footnotes
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: The authors have not stated any conflicts of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
