Topical Area: Nutrition Education and Behavioral Science
(P20-051-20) Do Dietary Patterns Differ with Video Game Usage in College Men?
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Objectives: To assess the differences in fruit and vegetable (F/V), total dietary fat, saturated fat, sodium, sugar, and discretionary calorie consumption, as well as body fat percentage (BF%), body mass index (BMI), and iliac crest waist circumference (WC) between high, moderate, and non-video game users in a sample of male college students.
Methods: Data collected between 2012 – 2018 from the College Health and Nutrition Assessment Survey, an ongoing cross-sectional study at a public New England university, were analyzed. After exclusion of participants with missing data, our final sample sizes were n=1095, n=1060, and n=786 for diet, BF%, and BMI/WC analyses, respectively. Daily video game usage (hrs/day) was self-reported and categorized as: non-users (NVG), < 1hr/day users (MVG), and ≥ 1hr/day (HVG). BF% was measured via bioelectrical impedance; BMI and WC were measured in duplicate. Food and nutrient data were obtained from three-day food records. Group differences were examined via ANCOVA using total kilocalories, daily steps, and first-year status as covariates.
Results: College men reported varying levels of video game usage: 30.5% reported NVG, 39.4% reported MVG, and 30.1% reported HVG. Higher WC was observed in MVG compared to NVG (84.5±0.5 cm vs. 82.4±0.6 cm, P< 0.02); no differences in WC were seen between HVG vs. NVG (84.0±0.6 cm vs. 82.4±0.6 cm, p=0.18). BMI and BF% did not differ between groups. Higher saturated fat consumption (30.1±0.4 g and 29.9±0.4 g, vs. 28.2±0.4 g, P< 0.002, P< 0.02) and lower F/V consumption (2.96±0.1 cups and 3.01±0.1 cups, vs. 3.43±0.1 cups, P< 0.001, P< 0.01) were observed in MVG and HVG vs. NVG. Sodium intake was higher in MVG vs. NVG (3957±46 mg vs. 3701±53 mg, P< 0.001) while discretionary calories were higher in HVG vs. NVG (759±14 kcals vs. 693±14 kcals, P< 0.003). No differences in total dietary fat, sugar, or alcohol consumption between groups were found.
Conclusions: Video game usage was associated with higher WC, saturated fat, sodium, discretionary calories, and lower F/V intake in college men. This knowledge can help to tailor nutrition education to male students; however, more robust, experimental studies in the college population are needed to confirm our observations.
Funding Sources: The New Hampshire Agriculture Experiment Station and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Project 1010738
Presenting Author(s)
Dustin G. Moore
Graduate Student University of New Hampshire Berlin, New Hampshire
Co-Author(s)
Jesse S. Morrell
Principal Lecturer University of New Hampshire Durham, New Hampshire