The Menus of Change Health and Heart Benefits for University Students

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The goal of this cross-sectional study is to investigate the health benefits of the Menus of Change in undergraduate university students, by comparing 2 groups: Students eating in the Menus of change catered halls, versus students eating outside the Menus of change meal plan. The main question it aims to answer is: What are the effects of the menus of change on other vascular outcomes, namely blood pressure? What are the effects of the menus of change on other health markers?

Detailed Description
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The Menus of Change (MoC) is an example of behaviour change that was created by The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. This initiative is based on a set of around 24 core principles, mainly promoting and serving 'healthy, sustainable, and delicious' food in restaurants and foodservice operations. The University of Reading has successfully implemented the MoC across the campus and in students' accommodations. However, MoC is not implemented across all campus halls. To date, most of the studies performed in relation to the MoC had explored techniques to encourage students towards healthier, more sustainable diets. Very little research focuses on the associated health outcomes and hence the impact on health of the eating pattern laid out in the MoC principles. Therefore, this project aims to investigate the health impact of the menu of change on university students, by comparing 2 groups: students eating in MoC catered halls, following the meal plan provided by the university food services, versus students who do not follow the menus of change meal plan. The primary aim will be to investigate the effect of the MoC on vascular outcomes, namely arterial stiffness, a particularly important tool in younger adults with low-moderate cardiovascular disease risk. Secondary aims will be to investigate other vascular outcomes, namely blood pressure changes, as well as looking at other health markers, such as full blood count, lipid profile, sugar levels, liver and kidney function, and CVD related inflammatory markers. In addition, the study aims to look at the impact of the MoC on stress and anxiety levels and the differences in students' attainment between groups.

Official Title
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The Menus of Change Health and Heart Benefits for University Students (The MOCHAHS Trial): A Cross-sectional Study

Conditions
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Healthy Lifestyle

Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Adults Home students living in university halls Undergraduates Can understand participant information sheet and willing to comply with the study design Exclusion Criteria: International students postgraduates living outside the university halls participating in other studies

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 25 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Group following the Menus of Change diet<br> | |
| Group not following the menus of Change diet<br> | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Arterial stiffness | Arterial stiffness will be measured using Mobil-O-Graph to assess the cardiovascular risk in participants | up to 2 weeks after completing a 3-day food diary | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full blood count | Full blood count levels will be compared between both groups | up to 2 weeks after completing a 3-day food diary | 
| Lipid profile | Lipid profile levels will be compared between both groups | up to 2 weeks after completing a 3-day food diary | 
| Glucose levels | by comparing levels between both groups | up to 2 weeks after completing a 3-day food diary | 
| liver profile | comparing liver profile levels between both groups | up to 2 weeks after completing a 3-day food diary | 
| Kidney profile | kidney profile levels to be compared between both groups | up to 2 weeks after completing a 3-day food diary | 
| SCFA levels | short chain fatty acids levels to be compared between both groups | up to 2 weeks after completing a 3-day food diary | 
| Cardiovascular disease related inflammatory biomarkers | Levels to be compared between both groups | up to 2 weeks after completing a 3-day food diary | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Arterial stiffness, Menus of Change