Exploring the Experiences of U.S. Students Around College Life and Its Impacts on their Eating Habits
Sofiia Korotka
Co-Presenters: Individual Presentation
College: The Dorothy and George Hennings College of Science, Mathematics and Technology
Major: Biotechnology/Molecular Biology - STEM 5 Year B.S./M.S.
Faculty Research Mentor: Eunice Nkansah
Abstract:
College plays a critical role in shaping young adults’ eating habits as they transition to adulthood. Factors influencing students’ eating habits are diverse on various levels, making it essential to guide students toward healthy eating during these college years as health consequences can be detrimental. Although much research exists on factors affecting college students’ diets, the most impactful remain unclear. Thus, identifying these key influences is crucial to prioritize efforts in improving students’ eating habits. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of U.S. students around college life and its impacts on their eating habits. This study used a quantitative approach. A total of 41 students, aged 18 to 25, from Kean University’s main campus, completed a self-reported assessment. The questionnaire was distributed as an anonymous link via Kean University’s faculty and the data was collected over two weeks. The questionnaire consisted of multiple choice and scoring questions asking participants to self-report changes as well as the effects of stress, workload, family, peers, and money on their eating habits after transition to college. The results revealed that overall, the quality of the students’ eating habits worsened, stress and workload being the most influential negative factors. Additionally, this study found that contrary to the literature, most participants reported peers as not influential. However, the results of this study are inconclusive due to the small sample size, uncertainty of the sample’s diversity, and data collection time frame that may have introduced a confounding variable skewing the results. Despite these limitations, this study offers insight into the factors influencing college students’ eating habits near the end of their semester. Recommendations based on these findings include increasing the number of college events helping with stress management and encouraging students to participate. Further research is needed to explore the effects of the studied factors over the entire length of a college semester as it may show potential trends or spikes when certain factors dominate, which could help plan the frequency of events taking these factors into account.Keywords: college students, college life, eating habits