The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a health-related fitness course on the dietary patterns of urban, commuter university students. Questions regarding diet from the 1995 National College Health Risk Behavior Survey were administered to 660 students enrolled in either a general education course (Control Group, C) or a health-related fitness course (Experimental Group, E) at the beginning and the end of a 15-week semester. In the health-related fitness course, a major goal was to promote increased awareness of personal dietary habits along with improved meal planning using behavioral change strategies such as dietary journaling/computer-assisted analysis, goal setting/assessment, peer group strategy/re-enforcement, and the development/incorporation of an exercise intervention. The data were analyzed using two way ANOVAs with repeated measures. There were no differences (p>.05) between the E and C groups regarding age, gender, marital status, or race. In addition, the pre test dietary patterns were not different between groups except for a slightly higher (p<.05) frequency of fruit juice consumption (mean ± SEM 1.01 ± 0.04 vs. 0.66 ± 0.10 times/week) and lower (p<.05) consumption of hamburgers, hot dogs, or sausage (0.41 ± 0.02 vs. 0.62 ± 0.07 times/week) and french fries/potato chips (0.46 ± 0.02 vs. 0.61 ± 0.08 times/week) for the E verses the C group, respectively. Following the 15-week intervention, there was a significant increase (p<.05) in the frequency of consumption of green salad (increase from 0.35 ± 0.02 to 0.49 ± 0.03 times/week) and cooked vegetables (increase from 0.72 ± 0.03 to 0.86 ± 0.04 times/week) in the E group. However, there was no change in the frequency of consumption of fruits and fruit juices. Furthermore, the intervention was not successful in terms of modifying the students' intake of fried high fat foods and sweets (e.g., cookies, donuts, pie, cake). In conclusion, a 15-week health-related fitness course utilizing behavioral change strategies designed to improve dietary patterns improved the frequency of consumption of green salads and vegetables, but did not impact the consumption of fruits, fruit juices, fried foods or sweets.Keyword(s): college level issues, health promotion, wellness/disease prevention