(P14-003-25) Dietary Analysis of Osteopathic Medical Students Using an Automated Self-Administered Dietary Assessment Tool – A Pilot Study

Objectives: To obtain preliminary data from osteopathic medical students regarding knowledge of dietary analysis and nutrition education in medicine, individual dietary habits, and confidence in nutrition counseling future patients.

Methods: A convenience sample of osteopathic medical students were recruited to perform three days of dietary analysis. Participants utilized the National Cancer Institute Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour (ASA-24) Dietary Assessment Tool to perform macronutrient and micronutrient analysis and determine the power analysis for a future cohort study. Data was collected in October 2023 and GraphPad Prism 9 was used for data analysis.

Results: We were able to recruit a total of 55 participants, 25 (45%) of which performed at least one of the required three days of dietary analysis. Compared to the macronutrient guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, osteopathic medical students consume a higher percentage of calories from fat (p=0.006), insufficient percentage of calories from carbohydrates (p < 0.0001), and adequate percentage of calories from protein (p=0.220). Osteopathic medical students also consume an increased amount of saturated fat per day (p < 0.0001) when compared to the recommendations established by the American Heart Association and less than 25% of the daily recommended omega 3 fatty acid intake (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions: Osteopathic medical students consume on average a suboptimal macronutrient and lipid composition diet. This may translate to low confidence in diet and nutrition counseling as well as poor role modeling of a healthy diet and lifestyle for future patients. 

Funding Sources: Funding was provided by internal grants from the institution.