Development of an elective course on dietary supplements for undergraduate college students

Figures & data

Table 1. HNF 102 course instructional objectives and learning outcomes.

Instructional Objectives – “Students will walk away from this course with the following understandings:”

Students will understand the role of governmental regulation of dietary supplements, functional foods, and other health claims. Students will know the relationship between dietary supplements and health. Students will know the impact of dietary supplements on performance. Students will understand some of the issues surrounding fortification and enrichment. Students will learn the health effects of functional foods. Students will be able to evaluate dietary supplements and functional foods for safety and effectiveness.

Learning Outcomes – “At the end of this course, students should be able to…”

Describe and comprehend the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. Describe how dietary supplements and foods are regulated and tested for quality. Interpret dietary supplement labels. Discuss safety, efficacy, effectiveness of use, and contraindications of selected dietary supplements and functional foods. Identify credible sources of information when researching dietary supplements. Apply basic scientific principles to the research evidence regarding supplements.

Abbreviations: HNF, Human Nutrition and Foods.

Table 2. HNF 102 course units and subunits.

Unit 1: Nutrition Overview and Dietary Supplement Introduction	Introduction to Nutrition and Health What are Proteins, Carbohydrates, and Fat? What are the Micronutrients: Vitamin A to Zinc? Just what are Dietary Supplements and Functional Foods? How are Nutrient Recommendations Determined? Medical Foods
Unit 2: Dietary Supplement Regulation	Dietary Supplement Regulation: The Good Dietary Supplement Regulation: The Bad and the Ugly How and Who Assesses Dietary Supplement Quality? What about Dietary Supplement Marketing and Safety? Recommendation of Supplements to others
Unit 3: How to Evaluate Dietary Supplement Information	What Government Websites Pertains to Dietary Supplements? Other Resources and How to Evaluate a Website Evaluating Evidence – Causation vs. Association Evaluating Evidence – Importance of Study Designs Evaluating Evidence – Quackery and Credential Mongering Evaluating Evidence – How to Conduct your own Experiments Evaluating Evidence – What is the Placebo Effect?
Unit 4: Dietary Supplementation and General Health	Micronutrient Supplementation and Health Can Herbs of Phytochemicals Cure or Support Health? Can Herbs Treat Mental Health and Make Me Smarter? Will Vitamins and Mineral Cure my Cold? Can I take Supplements to Make my Joints Feel Better? Functional Foods and Fiber
Unit 5: Dietary Supplementation and Performance Enhancement	What are Protein Supplements?   - Can Individual Amino Acids Help Me Increase Muscle Mass? Carbohydrate and Fat Supplementation and Hydration OTC Hormonal Boosters   - Testosterone and Growth Hormone Boosters Other Muscle Builders Sports Nutrition Recommendations Do Weight Loss Supplements Work?

Abbreviations: HNF, Human Nutrition and Foods.

Table 3. Process evaluation data for HNF 102 from summer 2022.

“The Unit lecture materials and assignments…	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neither Agree or Disagree	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
Unit 1. Nutrition Overview
… improved (or reaffirmed) my understanding of the macro- and micronutrients*	25	12	1
… improved my understanding of what dietary supplements were and how they are different from food*	28	9	2
… improved my understanding of what medical foods are and how they are different from foods and dietary supplements*	24	13	2
Unit 2. Dietary Supplement Regulation
… improved my understanding of dietary supplement regulation overall*	25	12	2
… improved my understanding of claims used on dietary supplements labels*	30	8	1
… improved my understanding of how to read a dietary supplement label*	24	14		1
… improved my understanding of potential safety considerations of dietary supplements*	22	15	1
Unit 3. How to Evaluate Dietary Supplement Information
. improved my knowledge of credible sources of dietary supplement information*	22	10	2	1
… improved my knowledge of how to evaluate dietary supplement claims*	21	13	2
… improved my knowledge of the importance of study design considerations when evaluating dietary supplements*	22	11	2	1
… improved my skillset of questions to ask when evaluating a dietary supplement*	20	13	3
… improved my understanding of association vs. causation*	21	9	6

Abbreviations: HNF, Human Nutrition and Foods.

*n = 35–39 students depending on whether students self-identified specific evaluative criterion.

Data availability statement

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.