M any adolescents are at an increased risk for anemia due to their rapid growth and increasing muscle mass. However, adolescent females with heavy menstrual bleeding are at an even greater risk for anemia. Heavy menstruation in adolescent females not only has negative effects on health-related quality of life and school attendance, but also has major health implications such as iron deficiency anemia. About 75% of teen girls do not meet the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for iron, due in part to busy lifestyles, and self-imposed trendy diets. 1-3 At a time in their lives when young women have an increased need for iron to compensate for menstrual blood loss and increased growth, many young women are preoccupied with body image.³ The combination of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) and an inadequate diet frequently leads to iron deficiency in young women. DRAWBACKS OF ORAL IRON THERAPY When we developed a program for females with HMB at the Adolescent Hematology Clinic at Nationwide Children's Hospital, anemia quickly became a very prevalent concern de
Calcium intake decreases in many men and women from late adolescence to young adulthood. Because college students rely on food/beverage purchases from vending machines, milk vending, though not widespread, offers an opportunity for improving calcium intake. Research is needed to develop, test, and measure effectiveness of messages that would motivate students to purchase milk from vending machines. The objective of this study was to determine the primary motivators/barriers of on‐campus milk vending purchases in college students for future use in development of tailored messages that promote purchase of vended milk. We surveyed 152 students at the point of purchase from milk and non‐milk beverage vending machines. On a 5‐point Likert scale, the top motivators of consuming vended milk were: ease of taking ‘on the go,’ taste, and variety. Barriers were: mode of purchase, cost, limited availability of milk vending machines on campus, difficulty of taking vended milk ‘on‐the‐go,’ and calorie content. In the next phase of this project, we will develop messages that address these reported motivators/barriers and then test the pre‐determined messages in focus groups of college students. Identifying messages that resonate with the target audience is critical for effectively motivating students to increase consumption of calcium rich foods/beverages, particularly from convenient sources, such as vending machines.
Calcium intake declines from late adolescence to young adulthood, in part, due to decreases in accessibility to milk and dairy products. While milk vending has shown demonstrated success in secondary schools, no studies have examined whether milk vending improves calcium intake among college students. We hypothesized that milk and calcium intake would be higher among college students given access to milk vending in their dormitory (milk vending consumers) compared to those lacking access in their dormitory (non-milk vending consumers). Milk vending machines were installed in two dormitories, and two dormitories having non-milk beverage vending served as comparison sites. Students completed a calcium intake questionnaire at the point of milk (n = 73) or non-milk (n = 79) beverage vending purchases. Mean total calcium intake was higher in milk vending consumers (1245 + 543 mg/d) compared to non-milk vending consumers (1042 + 447 mg/d) (p = 0.01). Adjusting for gender and milk vending consumer status, there was a positive association between past month milk vending purchases and daily calcium intake from milk (p < 0.001). Fiftyseven students without in-dormitory access to milk vending reported an interest in milk vending if made available. Milk vending may serve as a novel approach.
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