Diet quality and metabolic syndrome symptom severity in first-semester college students

Objective. The present study examined associations between diet quality and metabolic syndrome (MetS) symptom severity across the first semester in college. Participants. Participants were incoming first-year students at the Pennsylvania State University. Methods. Visit 1 (n = 110) occurred within the first 4 wk of the fall 2021 semester; visit 2 (n = 103) occurred during the last 2 wk of classes. At each visit, diet quality and MetS symptoms were assessed. Results. Poorer diet quality was associated with worse MetS symptom severity at visit 1 (β = -0.44, p < 0.001) and visit 2 (β = -0.40, p for t-test < 0.001). Across the semester, diet quality declined (standardized mean change = -0.28, p for t-test = 0.007) while MetS symptom severity increased (standardized mean change = 0.45, p < 0.001). Conclusions. Lifestyle-based primary prevention programs aimed at improving diet and reducing MetS risk across the entry into college are needed.