Changes after taking a college basic nutrition course.

A food and nutrition questionnaire was administered to students in a college basic nutrition course (basic nutrition students) and to others in unrelated general studies classes (control students) at the beginning and end of the semester to determine changes other than in academic knowledge of nutrition. Analysis with chi square (p less than .05) compared pre-semester responses (no. = 279) and post-semester responses (no. = 218) with those of 24 senior dietetics students (dietetics majors). After completing the course, all basic nutrition students responded that they had learned a lot about nutrition, and 45% indicated that they had made dietary changes because of this learning. Changes included increased confidence in the adequacy of their diets, decreased supplement use, and reduced fat content of milk usually consumed. Some misunderstandings of carbohydrates in foods were not improved. The similarity of responses by basic nutrition and control students to the pre-semester questionnaire suggests that enrollees in a basic nutrition class may be representative of the general student body in needs for nutrition education. The basic class for non-nutrition majors can effect changes in dietary practices; their nutrition education needs may be used to plan nutrition education of the general student population.