(P11-002-25) Assessing the Feasibility and Potential Efficacy of Herbs and Spices for Adherence to Dietary Guidelines in College Students With Poor Diet Quality: Single-Arm Clinical Trial

Objectives: Non-adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) contributes significantly to preventable death and disability. College students have unique circumstances that contribute to poor dietary quality, such as sociodemographic factors, lack of support networks, and time constraints. This indicates a need for interventions to address their nutritional challenges and associated chronic disease risks. Herbs and spices have an extensive history of use for enhancing the flavor of foods, with added health-promoting properties. Combining herbs and spices with nutrition education focused on DGA may promote adherence to healthful eating.

Methods: This 6-week single-arm clinical trial will include 30 college students (18–39y, BMI 18.5–39.9kg/m²) with poor dietary quality assessed via Global Diet Quality Score ( < 20). Participants will receive the Herbs and Spices Nutrition Education Program (HSNP) during weeks 0 and 3 of the 6-week period. The HSNP will include the principles/health benefits of following the DGA, incorporation of herbs and spices in the diet with budget-friendly strategies/recipes, and a sensory evaluation of foods prepared with herbs and spices. Dietary quality (HEI-2020) via 3-day food records will be assessed prior to the HSNP and at weeks 2, 4, and 6, with herbs and spice use assessed weekly throughout the study. Participants will fast (8–12hrs) for assessments of cardiometabolic health, physical activity, nutrition knowledge, sleep quality, and gastrointestinal health, before and after completing the 6-week HSNP. Acceptability, feasibility (Clinical Trials Feasibility Assessment Tool), underlying barriers, and dietary adherence (Raman Spectroscopy) will be assessed during week 3 and after completing the HSNP.

Results: This study is in the planning/development phase. We hypothesize that the HSNP will demonstrate feasibility (80% retention), while enhancing adherence to and acceptability of the DGAs, thereby contributing to improved dietary quality and health outcomes.

Conclusions: If the HSNP is feasible and acceptable in college students with poor diet quality, improvements in dietary quality may improve health outcomes. Preliminary data from this pilot study can be used for development of programs for improving dietary quality in randomized controlled trials.

Funding Sources: McCormick Science Institute