Increasing physical activity and developing healthy eating habits, particularly eating more fruits and vegetables during adolescence, can help reduce chronic disease risk. However as adolescents grow older, activity levels decline and rates of obesity and overweight increase. Nationally, one in five college students is overweight and 73 percent do not eat the recommended five daily servings of fruits and vegetables. The transition from adolescence to young adulthood, specifically from high school to college, is a time when several health risk behaviors change. Resisting influences that lead to unhealthy lifestyles can be difficult, as young adults are often exposed to temptations without the protective influence of parents, guardians, or older siblings. Very few web-based tailored nutrition programs address this growing market segment. In this Phase I study, Klein Buendel, Inc. will establish the technical merit and feasibility of developing an interactive web-based program for innovative college student nutrition education based on the tenets of the national 5 A Day program for increasing fruit and vegetable consumption. The website will be accessed through University Student Health Services programs and have administrative components for program staff. For students, the website will motivate exceptional nutrition and physical activity behaviors during a critical transition from home dependence to campus independence. 5 A Day on Campus will be modeled after Klein Buendel's active 5 A Day at Work web program for worksite wellness staff and employees (CA86552). Phase I paper prototypes will be designed using the American College Health Association's Healthy Campus 2010 objectives, the national Healthy People 2010 objectives for nutrition and physical activity, and select behavior change theories. Klein Buendel will partner with the Produce for Better Health Foundation and administrators from the Student Health Services of five colleges/universities in Arizona, California and Colorado for content and implementation expertise. In Phase II, KB's multimedia developers will employ leading edge customized features to develop an imminently marketable product for the nation's 10,000 institutions of higher education. In Phase III, 5 A Day on Campus will be licensed and distributed by the Produce for Better Health Foundation and the American College Health Association.
