An Examination of Outcomes of Undergraduate Dietetics Students in an Enhanced Academic Program

Jobs in healthcare will increase an estimated 18% between 2016 and 2028, which will lead to 2.4 million new jobs, including positions for registered dietitian nutritionists (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018). However, when students select the undergraduate dietetics program and apply for a dietetics internship, there is one major piece of information to consider: There are almost twice as many students applying for internships than positions available (ACEND, 2018c). Consequently, advising is essential to the success of a dietetics student when they enter a program to ensure that they are adequately prepared to apply for the internship. The purpose of this study was to understand the outcomes and experiences of undergraduate dietetics majors in an enhanced academic program after graduation. Specifically, the study assessed if at a large, public midwestern university programmatic enhancements would improve: overall GPA; dietetics core curriculum GPA; number of volunteer hours, advising appointments, students accepted into graduate programs, students pursuing and passing the NDTR exam, and students applying for a dietetic internship; and percentage of those placed into a dietetic internship. The convergent parallel study design utilized a comparison and an intervention group. Data were analyzed to assess the variables between the groups. There were no significant differences between the groups for high school GPA, ACT scores, university GPA, core dietetics GPA, and number of volunteer hours, students applying for internship, students attending graduate school, and students pursuing and passing the NDTR exam. The findings demonstrated positive trends among the intervention group in the number of volunteer hours and students attending graduate school and passing the NDTR exam. There was a significant difference between the groups for placement into dietetic internship (p = 0.02). Although, there was no significant difference in the perceptions of preparedness for the future, the intervention group self-reported an increased number of the highest rankings relative to preparedness. Correlations were shown between the cohort groups and university GPA, core dietetics GPA, and high school GPA with internship placement. Finally, the themes from the open-ended questions related to the strengths of the program were Faculty, Challenging Curriculum, Prepared Me Well, and Diverse Opportunities

Prevalence of Disordered Eating and Muscle Dysmorphia in College Students by Predominant Exercise Type

International Journal of Exercise Science 12(4): 1001-1012, 2019. Many young adults experience distorted body image and decreased body satisfaction. To attain more “ideal” bodies, negative alterations in eating and/or exercise habits are common. This study’s objective was to compare disordered eating and muscle dysmorphia in undergraduates who participate in aerobic-, anaerobic-, or flexibility-predominant exercise; mixed exercise; or no exercise. One hundred twelve undergraduate students (age 21.2 ± 4.8 years; BMI 25.0 ± 4.6 kg/m2) were recruited from the student union and recreation center. The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder Inventory (MDDI), and demographic/exercise questions were administered via iPad. Exercisers reported ≥ 150 minutes/week of exercise. Predominant exercise type was defined as ≥ 50% reported minutes from one type. Between-sex differences were assessed by t-tests, while exercise type differences were assessed using analysis of variance. Disordered eating was exhibited in 25.9% of undergraduates. Females had higher EAT-26 total and dieting subscale scores (p\u3c 0.05 for both). EAT-26 total, dieting subscale, and bulimia and food preoccupation subscales were higher in aerobic-predominant compared to anaerobic-predominant exercisers (p\u3c 0.05 for all). Muscle dysmorphia was exhibited in 7.1% of undergraduates. Males had higher MDDI total and drive for size subscale scores, while females scored higher on the appearance intolerance subscale (p\u3c 0.05 for all). Aerobic- and anaerobic-predominant exercisers had higher MDDI total and functional impairment subscale scores than non-exercisers (p\u3c 0.05). Non-exercisers were largely unaffected by disordered eating and muscle dysmorphia. Females and aerobic-predominant exercisers exhibited more symptoms of disordered eating, while males exhibited more symptoms of muscle dysmorphia. University campuses should consider targeted education for these groups