LINEAR ESSAY
College life is often extolled on television and movies as four years of partying, re-inventing oneself, going on adventures and seizing new opportunities. While college often does entail these things, what people often overlook is how difficult transitioning to college life is. Unfortunately, this is why college life doesn’t immediately meet the expectations of incoming first-year students. The unforeseen stresses of difficult schoolwork, forging new friendships, and adjusting to an unfamiliar life away from home deters from the idyllic college experience.
A consequence of this adjustment is that college students become extremely prone to developing poor eating habits. The role of nutrition and health in the lives of first-year students is underrated; a complete change in eating behavior is a significant challenge college freshmen must overcome. More often than not, this shifts is from three well-balanced meals a day to fewer "meals" high in carbs, fat and sodium.
There are may contributing factors to the development of poor eating patterns, including dining halls that maintain stagnant, nutritionally-lacking menus. The lack of variety at these dining halls is limiting, especially in regards to healthy, flavorful options. While a salad bar and fresh fruits are typically available at dining halls, the same salad everyday is tiring and progressively less appetizing. Meanwhile, unhealthy options like diner-style burgers, French fries, grilled cheese sandwiches, sugary juice cocktails and sodas as well as an endless assortment of dessert are plentiful in dining halls at all hours of the day. Even the main breakfast foods offered are on the unhealthy side (i.e. eggs cooked in butter or margarine, buttermilk pancakes, bacon, syrup).
Many freshman meal plans on college campuses are also extremely expensive and don’t give students a choice to eat elsewhere for most meals. Additionally, many students come to college in a state of financially instability or insecurity. The costs of tuition at colleges are on the rise, and despite receiving financial aid packages, some students still struggle with financial burdens. Thus, healthy eating becomes an even lower priority for those students who are constantly haunted by their financial status.
There is a lot of existing research concerning the diet and health behaviors of college students (3). One avenue of particular interest to many researchers has been the legendary "freshman 15", an arbitrary fifteen pounds first-year students are anticipated to gain during their first year at college. While many studies have proven that students rarely gain the full fifteen pounds, these studies support that freshmen do in fact have a higher tendency to put on weight in college. One study even found the weight trajectory of college students to be 6.7 times that of the average adult living in the US, while another study similarly discovered that college students gain weight at a rate 5.5 times that of the general population (5,6). Studies support that poor eating behaviors such as unhealthy snacking, overeating and stress are correlated with this trend (2,4,5,7).
Many researchers have conflicting opinions about the key factors causing first-year students to gain weight, and subsequently about how this unhealthy trend should be addressed on college campuses. Studies have shown that first-year students feel limited by their dining options, and in one particular study participants felt that the food at their on-campus dining facilities was "not healthy" (2). Thus, many believe that on-campus foodservice facilities are important targets for health promotion interventions (1,2,4,6,8). However, some studies also support that fitness and education about healthful behavior should be primary intervention targets. Kasperak (et. al), for example, believe that the low physical activity of busy college students contributes most to their weight gain (5). What hasn't been thoroughly researched in the literature is the influence of financial security on the eating patterns of first-year students. While participants in one study identified the high monetary costs associated with healthful behavior as a barrier to a healthy weight maintenance (3), there is little research on how financially secure students supplement their meal plans differently than those students who are less secure.
My personal research contribution to this issue is centered about investigating the relationship between financial security of first-year college students and their eating behaviors. More specifically, I focused on how students wealthier students with meal plans may supplement their meal plan differently than financially insecure first-year students with meal plans. I hypothesized that wealthier students are able to supplement their plan in healthier ways and diversify their dining options better than poorer students.
In order to execute this this research contribution, I formulated a survey to send out to students with meal plans at Emory University, the University of Michigan and the University of Pittsburgh. I distributed the survey via Facebook, by having students post the link to my survey in various groups. In total, 58 students responded to my survey. These students served as a representative sample of the college student population.
After analyzing the results of my survey, I am able to report some interesting findings. An important finding is that 81% (46/58) of survey participants reported that they eat at places NOT supported by their meal plan because they "are tired of the same on-campus dining options". Moreover, 88% (51/58) of participants reported that they eat ate at places NOT supported by their meal plan because "the food quality elsewhere is better". One would expect that with such expensive meal plans and the limited dining options available to first-year students, dining halls would be committed to offering a vast variety of food options throughout each day. One might also expect colleges to make up for the lack of variety with better quality. However, these results suggest that the majority of college students are dissatisfied with not only the options offered to them at dining halls, but also the quality of these options.
The survey also contained questions geared at determining a link between dining and financial security among college students. I found that 18 out of 58 participants reported that they eat at places NOT supported by their meal plan because "they can afford to". The important aspect of this finding is that ALL except for one these respondents report being "financially secure". This implies that nearly all of those who reported being financially insecure or in-between financially insecure and secure do not necessarily believe they can afford to.
Another finding is that 22 out of 23 respondents who eat at places NOT supported by their meal plan more than three times a week are financially secure (16) or in-between financially secure and insecure (6). Only 1 out of 23 respondents who reported eating at places NOT supported by his or her meal plan more than three times a week is "financially insecure". This shows that those who are not financially secure rarely or never eat off-campus more than three times a week (Figure 1). This result was expected, especially because the meal plan prices at all three representative schools are extremely high. At Emory University, for example, the mandatory, unlimited meal plan for first-year students is $2,500 a semester. At the University of Pittsburgh, the same plan just $50 less. Students are much less likely to eat off-campus as frequently as students who report themselves as financially secure.
The last important finding that provided insight into the effect of student financial status on college dining is that 8 survey participants reported that they "can't afford to supplement their meal plan". Five out of eight of these participants have average family incomes of less than $100,000. This suggests that most students who cannot afford to supplement their meal plans are on the low-end of the income spectrum.
In general, majority (53.6%) of survey participants found meal plan prices for first-year students to be "not at all" reasonable (Figure 2). Additionally, a little over half (50.9%) of survey participants find that their dining halls only "somewhat" promote healthy dining choices (Figure 3). Seven percent believe that the dining hall doesn't promote healthy dining choices at all. These results are indicative that the majority of students in college campuses do not feel meal plan prices for freshmen to be reasonable at all, nor do they find that dining halls frequently promote healthy dining choices.
Overall, the results of my dining survey provide evidence for correlation between the financial status of first-year college students and how they dine. Future research should be done with a larger sample size, and at a larger sample of universities. It may also be interesting to compare dining options at smaller, private universities against large, public universities to see if there are any key differences. Focusing on particular groups of students could also provide novel insights. For example, future studies could aim to determine if students in Greek Life have markedly different eating behaviors than those uninvolved in Greek Life. Future research should look into whether or not supplementing meal plans allows students to make healthier eating choices. For example, are the locations that students choose to dine at off-campus healthy? Or do these students gravitate toward unhealthy dining establishments?
My research has led me to believe that by offering a consistent selection of hot, healthy alternatives to staple menu items, dining halls could help improve the dining choices students make. Moreover, if dining halls made an effort to distinguish the healthful choices from the not-so-healthful choices with clear indicators, students may be prompted to choose healthier selections. Providing resources to first-year students like guides that help them better navigate healthy options in the dining hall may also make a positive difference in their eating behaviors.
In the long run, I feel that the best way for colleges to tackle this issue is by doing away with “all-you-can-eat” style dining halls. Having students “pay-per-item” instead may allow dining halls to increase the food quality of pricier items as well as lower overall meal plan costs for students. In reality, not all college students eat three full meals a day. Many times college students may just want a snack on the go, but need to use a full meal swipe just to grab a piece of fruit. This system of dining is inefficient and, in my opinion, outdated. There is plenty of room for reform.
A consequence of this adjustment is that college students become extremely prone to developing poor eating habits. The role of nutrition and health in the lives of first-year students is underrated; a complete change in eating behavior is a significant challenge college freshmen must overcome. More often than not, this shifts is from three well-balanced meals a day to fewer "meals" high in carbs, fat and sodium.
There are may contributing factors to the development of poor eating patterns, including dining halls that maintain stagnant, nutritionally-lacking menus. The lack of variety at these dining halls is limiting, especially in regards to healthy, flavorful options. While a salad bar and fresh fruits are typically available at dining halls, the same salad everyday is tiring and progressively less appetizing. Meanwhile, unhealthy options like diner-style burgers, French fries, grilled cheese sandwiches, sugary juice cocktails and sodas as well as an endless assortment of dessert are plentiful in dining halls at all hours of the day. Even the main breakfast foods offered are on the unhealthy side (i.e. eggs cooked in butter or margarine, buttermilk pancakes, bacon, syrup).
Many freshman meal plans on college campuses are also extremely expensive and don’t give students a choice to eat elsewhere for most meals. Additionally, many students come to college in a state of financially instability or insecurity. The costs of tuition at colleges are on the rise, and despite receiving financial aid packages, some students still struggle with financial burdens. Thus, healthy eating becomes an even lower priority for those students who are constantly haunted by their financial status.
There is a lot of existing research concerning the diet and health behaviors of college students (3). One avenue of particular interest to many researchers has been the legendary "freshman 15", an arbitrary fifteen pounds first-year students are anticipated to gain during their first year at college. While many studies have proven that students rarely gain the full fifteen pounds, these studies support that freshmen do in fact have a higher tendency to put on weight in college. One study even found the weight trajectory of college students to be 6.7 times that of the average adult living in the US, while another study similarly discovered that college students gain weight at a rate 5.5 times that of the general population (5,6). Studies support that poor eating behaviors such as unhealthy snacking, overeating and stress are correlated with this trend (2,4,5,7).
Many researchers have conflicting opinions about the key factors causing first-year students to gain weight, and subsequently about how this unhealthy trend should be addressed on college campuses. Studies have shown that first-year students feel limited by their dining options, and in one particular study participants felt that the food at their on-campus dining facilities was "not healthy" (2). Thus, many believe that on-campus foodservice facilities are important targets for health promotion interventions (1,2,4,6,8). However, some studies also support that fitness and education about healthful behavior should be primary intervention targets. Kasperak (et. al), for example, believe that the low physical activity of busy college students contributes most to their weight gain (5). What hasn't been thoroughly researched in the literature is the influence of financial security on the eating patterns of first-year students. While participants in one study identified the high monetary costs associated with healthful behavior as a barrier to a healthy weight maintenance (3), there is little research on how financially secure students supplement their meal plans differently than those students who are less secure.
My personal research contribution to this issue is centered about investigating the relationship between financial security of first-year college students and their eating behaviors. More specifically, I focused on how students wealthier students with meal plans may supplement their meal plan differently than financially insecure first-year students with meal plans. I hypothesized that wealthier students are able to supplement their plan in healthier ways and diversify their dining options better than poorer students.
In order to execute this this research contribution, I formulated a survey to send out to students with meal plans at Emory University, the University of Michigan and the University of Pittsburgh. I distributed the survey via Facebook, by having students post the link to my survey in various groups. In total, 58 students responded to my survey. These students served as a representative sample of the college student population.
After analyzing the results of my survey, I am able to report some interesting findings. An important finding is that 81% (46/58) of survey participants reported that they eat at places NOT supported by their meal plan because they "are tired of the same on-campus dining options". Moreover, 88% (51/58) of participants reported that they eat ate at places NOT supported by their meal plan because "the food quality elsewhere is better". One would expect that with such expensive meal plans and the limited dining options available to first-year students, dining halls would be committed to offering a vast variety of food options throughout each day. One might also expect colleges to make up for the lack of variety with better quality. However, these results suggest that the majority of college students are dissatisfied with not only the options offered to them at dining halls, but also the quality of these options.
The survey also contained questions geared at determining a link between dining and financial security among college students. I found that 18 out of 58 participants reported that they eat at places NOT supported by their meal plan because "they can afford to". The important aspect of this finding is that ALL except for one these respondents report being "financially secure". This implies that nearly all of those who reported being financially insecure or in-between financially insecure and secure do not necessarily believe they can afford to.
Another finding is that 22 out of 23 respondents who eat at places NOT supported by their meal plan more than three times a week are financially secure (16) or in-between financially secure and insecure (6). Only 1 out of 23 respondents who reported eating at places NOT supported by his or her meal plan more than three times a week is "financially insecure". This shows that those who are not financially secure rarely or never eat off-campus more than three times a week (Figure 1). This result was expected, especially because the meal plan prices at all three representative schools are extremely high. At Emory University, for example, the mandatory, unlimited meal plan for first-year students is $2,500 a semester. At the University of Pittsburgh, the same plan just $50 less. Students are much less likely to eat off-campus as frequently as students who report themselves as financially secure.
The last important finding that provided insight into the effect of student financial status on college dining is that 8 survey participants reported that they "can't afford to supplement their meal plan". Five out of eight of these participants have average family incomes of less than $100,000. This suggests that most students who cannot afford to supplement their meal plans are on the low-end of the income spectrum.
In general, majority (53.6%) of survey participants found meal plan prices for first-year students to be "not at all" reasonable (Figure 2). Additionally, a little over half (50.9%) of survey participants find that their dining halls only "somewhat" promote healthy dining choices (Figure 3). Seven percent believe that the dining hall doesn't promote healthy dining choices at all. These results are indicative that the majority of students in college campuses do not feel meal plan prices for freshmen to be reasonable at all, nor do they find that dining halls frequently promote healthy dining choices.
Overall, the results of my dining survey provide evidence for correlation between the financial status of first-year college students and how they dine. Future research should be done with a larger sample size, and at a larger sample of universities. It may also be interesting to compare dining options at smaller, private universities against large, public universities to see if there are any key differences. Focusing on particular groups of students could also provide novel insights. For example, future studies could aim to determine if students in Greek Life have markedly different eating behaviors than those uninvolved in Greek Life. Future research should look into whether or not supplementing meal plans allows students to make healthier eating choices. For example, are the locations that students choose to dine at off-campus healthy? Or do these students gravitate toward unhealthy dining establishments?
My research has led me to believe that by offering a consistent selection of hot, healthy alternatives to staple menu items, dining halls could help improve the dining choices students make. Moreover, if dining halls made an effort to distinguish the healthful choices from the not-so-healthful choices with clear indicators, students may be prompted to choose healthier selections. Providing resources to first-year students like guides that help them better navigate healthy options in the dining hall may also make a positive difference in their eating behaviors.
In the long run, I feel that the best way for colleges to tackle this issue is by doing away with “all-you-can-eat” style dining halls. Having students “pay-per-item” instead may allow dining halls to increase the food quality of pricier items as well as lower overall meal plan costs for students. In reality, not all college students eat three full meals a day. Many times college students may just want a snack on the go, but need to use a full meal swipe just to grab a piece of fruit. This system of dining is inefficient and, in my opinion, outdated. There is plenty of room for reform.