How to Create a Student-Generated Database, in a Large Nutrition Class, to Illustrate the Analysis of Nutrient and Food Intakes

Abstract

The completion of a three-day food record, using commonly available nutrient analysis software, is a typical assignment for students in nutrition and food science programs. While these assignments help students evaluate their personal diets, it is insufficient to teach students about surveys of large population cohorts. This paper shows how the Test, Survey and Pools tool in the learning management system Blackboard™ (Blackboard Inc.) was used to collect the individual food and nutrition intake data from the three-day food records of students in a large introductory nutrition class. This student-generated database was then be used to illustrate population level analyses. Examples of the types of analyses include a) use of the E.A.R. cut point method to identify nutrients of concern, b) the use of food intakes to determine the proportion of students consuming the recommended servings of foods from each food group, c) the analysis of intakes of nutrients that are overconsumed such as salt, saturated fat and trans fat, and d) correlations between macronutrients (e.g. as fat intake increases, carbohydrate intake decreases). The use of a database, derived from the students own food intakes, connects with student interests, and the analyses of such a database illustrates an authentic task in the nutritional sciences.