Diet quality is associated with nutrition knowledge and physical activity in the US military veterans enrolled in university programmes.

Introduction: Military veterans are at greater risk for chronic medical conditions, many of which are associated with greater body mass index (BMI). Detrimental changes to diet and physical activity (PA) levels after separation from military service contribute to this disparity which may be mitigated by nutrition education (NE) during service.

Methods: We conducted a survey in student veterans attending two southeastern US universities to determine current nutrition knowledge and hypothesised that NE received during time of service would be associated with better current diet quality (DQ), PA and BMI. Food group knowledge (FGK), and nutrient knowledge, DQ measured by Healthy Eating Index (HEI), and PA reported in metabolic equivalent minutes per week (MET-min/week) were assessed using previously validated questionnaires. Height and weight were also self-reported to calculate BMI. Differences in these variables between NE groups were assessed using Mann-Whitney U tests. Change in DQ, PA and BMI were assessed with Wilcoxon signed rank tests. Stepwise backward regression analysis was used to identify significant predictors related to HEI and BMI status.

Results: Sixty-three out of 83 total responses were valid. Respondents were 60% male, 81% white, 43% and 27% served in the Army and Navy, respectively and 30% reported receiving NE while in the military. Veterans who received NE while serving did not have higher FGK, nutrition knowledge, current DQ, MET-min/week or BMI than their counterparts. Overall, respondents reported decreased MET-min/week (p<0.001), increased BMI (p=0.01) and no change in DQ. PA (p=0.014) and FGK (p<0.001) were significant predictors of current DQ, while no variables significantly predicted current BMI.

Conclusions: Inverse relationships between BMI and PA were observed after separation from duty. These results warrant the development and implementation of effective lifestyle interventions in veterans to prevent chronic disease and improve quality of life.