University wellness program: the effectiveness of students as nutrition counselors

The Whole Body Health Program at San Jose State University was designed for employees who were interested in improving their general nutritional intake and fitness. This university wellness program furnishes students in nutrition and other health-related fields with valuable training and experience while also providing university employees with a work-site wellness program. As part of the wellness program and under faculty supervision, nutrition students conduct the Dietary Assessment Program by interviewing, assessing, and counseling clients. To determine whether the program was effective in improving participants' dietary habits, 16 previous participants were contacted by telephone. Fourteen agreed to be reinterviewed, and new dietary data were collected. Both the original (pre-program) and current (post-program) 24-hour recalls were evaluated according to the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs), polyunsaturated to saturated (P:S) fat ratio, and percent of energy from fat and from carbohydrate. Reported mean consumption of cholesterol decreased from pre- to post-program for all subjects (pre = 383 mg, post = 242 mg; p less than or equal to .05). Those originally consuming more than 300 mg achieved a greater decrease in reported cholesterol consumption (pre = 487 mg, post = 234 mg; p less than or equal to .01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)