A pilot study examining the impact of a brief health education intervention on food choices and exercise in a Latinx college student sample

Healthy eating and physical activity (PA) necessitate interventions designed to increase these behaviors. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) posits addressing psychological needs to promote intrinsic motivation, while the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) posits progression through stages of change consistent with contemplating processes of change. Previous findings suggest the efficacy of combining these approaches to understand, initiate, and maintain behavior. This study assessed a pilot intervention to increase healthy eating and PA based on components derived from SDT and TTM. Latinx college students (N = 267) were randomized to either the Fit U intervention or the self-monitoring only group. The Fit U intervention augmented self-monitoring with personalized, culturally-tailored motivational enhancement feedback and goal setting. Inferential analyses used hierarchical regression models to predict total calorie intake, fruit and vegetable (FV) intake, eating behavior, PA, and perceived competence for diet and exercise. Logistic regression models were used to examine changes in motivation to engage in a healthy diet and PA at post-test. Findings suggest those in Fit U reported lower calorie intake (β = 0.143, p = .023), improvement in healthy eating (β = −0.157, p < .001), increased perceived competence for diet (β = −0.145, p = .007) and exercise (β = −0.167, p = .003), and progression through the stages of change for exercise (OR = 0.297, p = .003). Findings suggest the efficacy of personalized, culturally-tailored motivational enhancement and goal setting beyond simply self-monitoring on healthy eating and PA outcomes in Latinx college students. Future directions include assessing the impact of Fit U on a larger scale and including long term follow-up assessments to assess the sustainability of eating and PA changes and their impact on superordinate outcomes such as weight loss.