Date of Completion

Spring 5-8-2011

Thesis Advisor(s)

Ock Chun

Honors Major

Nutritional Science

Disciplines

Human and Clinical Nutrition | Nutrition

Abstract

Little is known about the prevalence of dietary supplement usage among college students. Though taking dietary supplements can cover nutrient shortages not achieved through diet alone, it is often recommended to improve the quality of one's diet rather than rely on supplements. The main objective of this research study was to determine the prevalence of dietary supplement use among college students in relation to a variety of demographic and lifestyle variables, and to find out what portion of total nutrient intake is supplied by supplements. Subjects were all recruited from the University of Connecticut, and each participant completed a health and nutrition survey plus a 30-day diet recall. A T-Test was completed to compare nutrient adequacy between supplement users and non-users using dietary data averaged over 30 days. The study showed that despite nearly 40% of students using supplements, many female students are falling short in iron. Several critical nutrients, including fiber, vitamin D, E, calcium are also lacking in the diets of most college students.

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