Journal of American College Health
ISSN: 0744-8481 (Print) 1940-3208 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vach20
The Effect of Student Residence on Food Choice Kathy A. Beerman PhD , Gladys Jennings MS, RD & Sheril Crawford MS, RD To cite this article: Kathy A. Beerman PhD , Gladys Jennings MS, RD & Sheril Crawford MS, RD (1990) The Effect of Student Residence on Food Choice, Journal of American College Health, 38:5, 215-220, DOI: 10.1080/07448481.1990.9936190 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07448481.1990.9936190
Published online: 09 Jul 2010.
Submit your article to this journal
Article views: 98
View related articles
Citing articles: 5 View citing articles
Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=vach20 Download by: [Monash University Library]
Date: 23 October 2015, At: 07:44
The Effect of Student Residence on Food Choice
Downloaded by [Monash University Library] at 07:44 23 October 2015
KATHY A. BEERMAN, PhD, GLADYS JENNINGS, MS, RD, and SHERIL CRAWFORD, MS, RD
This study assessed the effect of student residence on food choices and dietary practices of students enrolled in an undergraduate nutrition class at Washington State University. We compared food consumption patterns of students living on campus, off campus, and in Greek housing. We also identified differences between men and women in food consumption and dietary practices. The results suggested that students’ residence and sex may influence food choice and dietary practices. Significant differences in food choice related to students’ residence were found for 8 of the 27 variables included on a food frequency list. Differences in the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, beer, fish, unsweetened cereal, white bread, and cookies were identified. In addition, students who lived in Greek housing were found to skip meals less frequently than other students, and men were found to consume significantly more beer, sugarsweetened soft drinks, meat, and white bread than women students. Men were also more accurate in their perception of their body weight.
Eating behaviors and dietary practices of college students have been of interest to nutritionists for many years. College students are often noted for skipping meals,’,* making poor food choice^,^-^ excessive dieting,“’ and behaviors indicating eating disorders.a10All of these practices have contributed to concern that many college students do not consume adequate amounts of nutrients and calories. Research has helped to identify several factors that influence dietary practices among college students. These include gender,’,4 energy intake,” body image,’2,’3 and academic major.14Melby et a14 reported that women were less likely to consume fatty foods than men. This may be attributed to the higher incidence of dieting among college
women.”l0 Differences in eating patterns related to academic major were also identified.14 Students studying dietetics were found to have more positive eating habits than other students. They were, however, more likely to vomit after overeating. The complexities and variety of factors that influence food choice among college students are evident. Universities and colleges offer several types of living arrangements for students. Students who live in dormitories typically consume most of their meals in dining halls or cafeterias on campus. Other students are members of sororities or fraternities and have their meals prepared by hired cooks. Some students live off campus and prepare their own meals. The effect of students’ residence on food choice and dietary practices has not been the direct focus of many studies. Research by Melby et a14 assessed dietary and exercise behaviors of college students. They found residence hall students consumed significantly more fruits and vegetables than students who lived elsewhere. Other food choices, however, were not measured. A study by Gottschalk et at” found that meal subscription plans of residence hall students also influenced dietary practices. This study sought to assess the effect of student residence on food choices and dietary practices of students enrolled in an undergraduate nutrition course at Washington State University. The objectives were (1) to characterize food consumption patterns and dietary practices; (2) to identify gender differences in food choice and dietary practices; and (3) to identify differences in food choice and dietary practices among students living in oncampus, offcampus, and Greek housing.
METHOD
Survey lnstmment Kathy A. Beerman, Gladys Jennings, and Sheril Crawford are all in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Washington State University in Pullman. Ms Beerman is an assistant professor, Ms Jennings is an associate professor, and Ms Crawford is a graduate teaching assistant.
VOL 38, MARCH 7990
We designed a questionnaire, using the Total Design Method,16 to elicit information regarding current food consumption patterns and dietary practices of university students enrolled in an undergraduate nutrition course. Se-
2 15
COLLEGE HEALTH lected nutrition faculty at Washington State University (WSU) reviewed the instrument for content and clarity. It was then pretested on 120 students currently enrolled in an introductory nutrition class. The questionnaire was divided into three sections-a food frequency list; a section on diet, weight, and exercise practices; and a section on demo graphic information. The food frequency list included items from the following categories: (1) beverages, (2) fruits and vegetables, (3) meats, (4) desserts, (5) dairy, and (6) breads and cereals. Subjects were asked to report if foods were consumed daily (one or more times per day), weekly (one to six servings per week), or monthly (one or fewer servings per month).
Downloaded by [Monash University Library] at 07:44 23 October 2015
Sample Population Total undergraduate enrollment at Washington State University during the spring semester of 1988 was 16,278. Approximately 29% of the students lived in dormitories, 59% lived off campus, and 12% lived in Greek housing. Students who live on campus eat the majority of their meals at campus dining facilities. The meal plan available at WSU is based on a credit card system. Money is allocated into the students’ account at the beginning of the semester, and students can charge purchases at any of the four oncampus dining halls or cafeterias. The questionnaire was given to 250 students enrolled in a spring 1988 introductory nutrition course (Food Science and Human Nutrition 130). This course is designed for nonnutrition majors and fulfills a biological science requirement; 600 students were enrolled, approximately 300 per section. Eighty percent of the students in this course were in their first or second year of school, and 57% were women. When we compared those in the course with the entire university undergraduate population, we found that both women and first- and second-year students were overrep resented.
Data Collediin and Analysis Participation in this study was voluntary. Questionnaires were distributed in class at the end of the semester to ensure that food consumption patterns and dietary practices represented students’ residence at that time. Responses were transferred to Opscan sheets and entered into the mainframe computer at WSU. We analyzed the data, using Statistical Analysis Systems (SAS), which provided both descriptive and statistical analyses” and tabulated response frequencies to assess food consumption patterns and dietary practices. The chi-square was used to test differences in food choice and dietary practices of students living on campus, off campus, or in Greek housing. We also used chi-square tests to assess differences in food choice and dietary practices between men and women.
RESULTS
Of the 152 students who returned completed questionnaires (61O/O of the sample of 250), 44% were men and 56%
216
were women. The majority (74%) were under 21 years of age and in their first or second year (65%). The respondents appeared to be representative of the overall class and university in terms of gender, but students in their first or second year of school were underrepresented in the study (65% v 80%). Sixty-five students lived in dormitories and ate most of their meals in campus dining facilities. Of the students living on campus, 49 (75%) were women and 16 (25%) were men. Another 62 students lived off campus and consumed the majority of their meals at home or off campus; 36 (58’/0) of these were men and 26 (42%) were women. Twenty-five students reported that they lived in a sorority or fraternity house and said that the majority of their meals were prepared by the house cook. This group consisted of 15 men (60%) and 10 women (40%). The distribution of students was representative of the university as a whole.
Food Choice We identified significant differences (p < .05) in food choice according to students’ residence for 8 of the 27 variables included on the food frequency list (Table 1). Weekly consumption of beer was significantly higher among students who lived in Greek housing or off campus (x’ = 19.71, p < .001). We found no significant differences in meat consumption patterns related to where students lived. Of the 58 students who reported weekly consumption of fish, however, 49% ate in on-campus dining halls (x’ = 9.19, p < .05). Overall, 28% of the students reported they ate cookies daily. A significantly greater proportion (35%) of students living on campus reported daily cookie consumption than those living in Greek housing (27%) or those living off campus (21%) (x’ = 12.0, p < .01). Vegetables and fruits (fresh or canned) were least likely to be consumed daily by students who lived off campus. Thirty-one percent of the off-campus students reported they ate fresh vegetables daily. This compares with 56% of dormitory residents and 55% of students living in sororities or fraternities. We asked respondents to rate the overall adequacy of their diet on a scale of 1 to 10. Mean ratings for the three groups were 6.27 for students living on campus, 6.68 for off-campus residents, and 6.24 for those in Greek housing. We found no significant differences in how students rated their diets based on where they lived. Significant differences (p < .05) were found between men and women for 10 of the 27 food selections (Table 2). Forty-five percent of the women reported they drank sugar-free soft drinks daily, compared with 23% of the men (x’ = 7.2, p < .05). Eighteen percent of the men, however, reported that they drank sugar-sweetened soft drinks, compared with 10% of the women (x’ = 8.07, p < .02). Men were significantly more likely
)ACH
EFFECT OF RfSlDENCf ON FOOD CHOKE
Downloaded by [Monash University Library] at 07:44 23 October 2015
TABLE 1 Consumption of Selected Foods by Students living On Campus, Off Campus, and in Greek Housing
Item
O n campus (n = 65) D W M % Of0 Of0
Beer* * Fresh vegetables** Canned fruit** Canned vegetables* * Fish* Cookies * White bread* * Unsweetened cereal* *
3 56 19 19 3 35 10 3
67 11 43 33 48 9 65 52
30 33 38 48 49 56 25 44
Greek housing (n = 25) D W M % % Yo
Off campus (n = 62) D W M
0 55 23 32
3 31 1 4 0 21 15 19
4
27 32 32
82 41 68 59 23 50 45 36
18 4 9 9 73 23 23 32
Of0
Of0
55 63 37 54 33 45 25 39
42 6 61 42 67 34 60 42
~
* p < .05;* * p < ,001. Note: D = daily consumption (1 2 serving per day).
W M
- weekly consumption (1-6 sewings per week).
=
monthly consumption (< 1 serving per month).
TABLE 2 Food Consumption Patterns of Male and Female Students
Daily
2 1 serving per day Item
Male %
Female %
Weekly 1-6 servings per week Male Female %
%
Monthly
4 1 serving per month Male Female % ~~~
Sugar-free soft drink* Sugar-sweetened soft drink* Beer** Fresh vegetables** Chicken* Beef* * Pork* Fish** Whole grain bread* White bread * *
% ~
23 18
45 10
24 46
22 28
53 36
33 62
12 24
0 53 3 7 0 0 57 13
53 70 88 82
23 33 72 48 23 25 25 28
35 6 8 6 55 47 21 27
77 13 25 45 77 75 18 58
5
12 2 3
35 39
44 50 44 33
* p < .05; * * p < .01.
than women to consume beer on a daily to weekly basis (x’ = 21.15, p < .01). We also found significant differences between men and women in terms of meat consumption (p < .05), with chi-square values of 6.47 (p < .05) for chicken, 24.87 (p < .01) for beef, 7.17 (p < .05) for pork, and 11.61 (p < .01) for fish consumption. Men were significantly more likely to consume white bread on a daily basis (x’ = 6.71, p < .05) compared with women, who preferred whole grain breads (x’ = 15.09, p < .01).
V0138, MARCH 1990
Diet, Weight, and Exercise Practices Only 1 of 6 variables was significantly different with respect to students’ residence (Table 3). Students living in Greek housing were less likely to skip meals, compared with students living on or off campus (x2 = 5.99, p < .05). Approximately 64% of the Greek students reported rarely skipping meals, whereas 34% of the students who lived on campus and 34% of the off-campus residents rarely skipped. Of the students who reported
217
Downloaded by [Monash University Library] at 07:44 23 October 2015
COL1ECE HEALTH regularly skipping meals, the most frequently reported reason was lack of time (61%). Students who lived off campus were more likely to take vitamin supplements (27%) and to eat at fast-food restaurants on a daily basis (20%). The majority of students reported that they exercised on a daily to weekly basis. Only 15% of the respondents said that they rarely exercised. Forty-seven of the 152 respondents were satisfied with their weight (31%), but a majority of the students (60%) rated themselves as slightly to greatly overweight. Of the students who were satisfied with their weight, 45% lived off campus. In addition, 51 o/o of the students who reported infrequent dieting lived off campus. Differences between male and female responses with respect to dietary, weight loss, and exercise practices were identified using the chi-square statistic (Table 4). Approximately 46% of male respondents perceived themselves as overweight. These values were compared with calculated values reported in the 1983 Metropolitan Life Height and Weight Table.’’ Based on selfreported heights, weights, and body frame, 54% of the men actually exceeded their recommended weight range. Seventy-one percent of the women thought of themselves as overweight, but when compared with
calculated values, less than 23% actually exceeded their recommended weight range. Differences between the responses of men and women about how often they skipped meals were not significant. Approximately 42% of the men rarely skipped meals, compared with 36% of the women. The women were more likely to be on weight-reduction diets than were the men (x’ = 27.53, p < .001). Seventy-five percent of the male respondents reported they rarely dieted, compared with 33% of the females. Gender differences were not significant with regard to daily exercise (x’ = 5.59, p < .35). Approximately 78% of the students reported they exercised at least once per week. The percentage of men who reported they exercised regularly (81%) did not differ significantly from values observed for women (75%).
DISCUSSION The results of our study indicate that where they live and their sex may influence food choice and dietary practices of students at Washington State University. The differences in male and female eating patterns are consistent with other studie~.~,’-’~ Although this study relied upon self-report and perceptual measures of
TABLE 3 Diet, Weight, and Exercise Patterns of Students, by Residence
Variable
O n campus
Off campus
Greek housing
n
OJO
n
Yo
n
41 21
66 34
44 23
66 34
8 14
36 64
4 55 4
6 87 7
13 51 3
20 76 4
2 19 1
9 86 5
21 30 12
33 48 19
25 33 9
37 79 14
13 7 2
59 32 9
19 40 3
31 65 4
21 39 7
31 58 10
7 12 3
32 55 13
4 31 28
7 49 44
2 25 40
3 37 60
3 9 10
14 41 45
12 19 32
19 30 51
18 24 25
27 36 37
3 8 11
14 36 50
OJLl
Skip meals* Regularly Rarely Fast-food restaurants Regularly (1-3 x /week) Occasionally (1-4x/month) Rarely (
ISSN: 0744-8481 (Print) 1940-3208 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vach20
The Effect of Student Residence on Food Choice Kathy A. Beerman PhD , Gladys Jennings MS, RD & Sheril Crawford MS, RD To cite this article: Kathy A. Beerman PhD , Gladys Jennings MS, RD & Sheril Crawford MS, RD (1990) The Effect of Student Residence on Food Choice, Journal of American College Health, 38:5, 215-220, DOI: 10.1080/07448481.1990.9936190 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07448481.1990.9936190
Published online: 09 Jul 2010.
Submit your article to this journal
Article views: 98
View related articles
Citing articles: 5 View citing articles
Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=vach20 Download by: [Monash University Library]
Date: 23 October 2015, At: 07:44
The Effect of Student Residence on Food Choice
Downloaded by [Monash University Library] at 07:44 23 October 2015
KATHY A. BEERMAN, PhD, GLADYS JENNINGS, MS, RD, and SHERIL CRAWFORD, MS, RD
This study assessed the effect of student residence on food choices and dietary practices of students enrolled in an undergraduate nutrition class at Washington State University. We compared food consumption patterns of students living on campus, off campus, and in Greek housing. We also identified differences between men and women in food consumption and dietary practices. The results suggested that students’ residence and sex may influence food choice and dietary practices. Significant differences in food choice related to students’ residence were found for 8 of the 27 variables included on a food frequency list. Differences in the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, beer, fish, unsweetened cereal, white bread, and cookies were identified. In addition, students who lived in Greek housing were found to skip meals less frequently than other students, and men were found to consume significantly more beer, sugarsweetened soft drinks, meat, and white bread than women students. Men were also more accurate in their perception of their body weight.
Eating behaviors and dietary practices of college students have been of interest to nutritionists for many years. College students are often noted for skipping meals,’,* making poor food choice^,^-^ excessive dieting,“’ and behaviors indicating eating disorders.a10All of these practices have contributed to concern that many college students do not consume adequate amounts of nutrients and calories. Research has helped to identify several factors that influence dietary practices among college students. These include gender,’,4 energy intake,” body image,’2,’3 and academic major.14Melby et a14 reported that women were less likely to consume fatty foods than men. This may be attributed to the higher incidence of dieting among college
women.”l0 Differences in eating patterns related to academic major were also identified.14 Students studying dietetics were found to have more positive eating habits than other students. They were, however, more likely to vomit after overeating. The complexities and variety of factors that influence food choice among college students are evident. Universities and colleges offer several types of living arrangements for students. Students who live in dormitories typically consume most of their meals in dining halls or cafeterias on campus. Other students are members of sororities or fraternities and have their meals prepared by hired cooks. Some students live off campus and prepare their own meals. The effect of students’ residence on food choice and dietary practices has not been the direct focus of many studies. Research by Melby et a14 assessed dietary and exercise behaviors of college students. They found residence hall students consumed significantly more fruits and vegetables than students who lived elsewhere. Other food choices, however, were not measured. A study by Gottschalk et at” found that meal subscription plans of residence hall students also influenced dietary practices. This study sought to assess the effect of student residence on food choices and dietary practices of students enrolled in an undergraduate nutrition course at Washington State University. The objectives were (1) to characterize food consumption patterns and dietary practices; (2) to identify gender differences in food choice and dietary practices; and (3) to identify differences in food choice and dietary practices among students living in oncampus, offcampus, and Greek housing.
METHOD
Survey lnstmment Kathy A. Beerman, Gladys Jennings, and Sheril Crawford are all in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Washington State University in Pullman. Ms Beerman is an assistant professor, Ms Jennings is an associate professor, and Ms Crawford is a graduate teaching assistant.
VOL 38, MARCH 7990
We designed a questionnaire, using the Total Design Method,16 to elicit information regarding current food consumption patterns and dietary practices of university students enrolled in an undergraduate nutrition course. Se-
2 15
COLLEGE HEALTH lected nutrition faculty at Washington State University (WSU) reviewed the instrument for content and clarity. It was then pretested on 120 students currently enrolled in an introductory nutrition class. The questionnaire was divided into three sections-a food frequency list; a section on diet, weight, and exercise practices; and a section on demo graphic information. The food frequency list included items from the following categories: (1) beverages, (2) fruits and vegetables, (3) meats, (4) desserts, (5) dairy, and (6) breads and cereals. Subjects were asked to report if foods were consumed daily (one or more times per day), weekly (one to six servings per week), or monthly (one or fewer servings per month).
Downloaded by [Monash University Library] at 07:44 23 October 2015
Sample Population Total undergraduate enrollment at Washington State University during the spring semester of 1988 was 16,278. Approximately 29% of the students lived in dormitories, 59% lived off campus, and 12% lived in Greek housing. Students who live on campus eat the majority of their meals at campus dining facilities. The meal plan available at WSU is based on a credit card system. Money is allocated into the students’ account at the beginning of the semester, and students can charge purchases at any of the four oncampus dining halls or cafeterias. The questionnaire was given to 250 students enrolled in a spring 1988 introductory nutrition course (Food Science and Human Nutrition 130). This course is designed for nonnutrition majors and fulfills a biological science requirement; 600 students were enrolled, approximately 300 per section. Eighty percent of the students in this course were in their first or second year of school, and 57% were women. When we compared those in the course with the entire university undergraduate population, we found that both women and first- and second-year students were overrep resented.
Data Collediin and Analysis Participation in this study was voluntary. Questionnaires were distributed in class at the end of the semester to ensure that food consumption patterns and dietary practices represented students’ residence at that time. Responses were transferred to Opscan sheets and entered into the mainframe computer at WSU. We analyzed the data, using Statistical Analysis Systems (SAS), which provided both descriptive and statistical analyses” and tabulated response frequencies to assess food consumption patterns and dietary practices. The chi-square was used to test differences in food choice and dietary practices of students living on campus, off campus, or in Greek housing. We also used chi-square tests to assess differences in food choice and dietary practices between men and women.
RESULTS
Of the 152 students who returned completed questionnaires (61O/O of the sample of 250), 44% were men and 56%
216
were women. The majority (74%) were under 21 years of age and in their first or second year (65%). The respondents appeared to be representative of the overall class and university in terms of gender, but students in their first or second year of school were underrepresented in the study (65% v 80%). Sixty-five students lived in dormitories and ate most of their meals in campus dining facilities. Of the students living on campus, 49 (75%) were women and 16 (25%) were men. Another 62 students lived off campus and consumed the majority of their meals at home or off campus; 36 (58’/0) of these were men and 26 (42%) were women. Twenty-five students reported that they lived in a sorority or fraternity house and said that the majority of their meals were prepared by the house cook. This group consisted of 15 men (60%) and 10 women (40%). The distribution of students was representative of the university as a whole.
Food Choice We identified significant differences (p < .05) in food choice according to students’ residence for 8 of the 27 variables included on the food frequency list (Table 1). Weekly consumption of beer was significantly higher among students who lived in Greek housing or off campus (x’ = 19.71, p < .001). We found no significant differences in meat consumption patterns related to where students lived. Of the 58 students who reported weekly consumption of fish, however, 49% ate in on-campus dining halls (x’ = 9.19, p < .05). Overall, 28% of the students reported they ate cookies daily. A significantly greater proportion (35%) of students living on campus reported daily cookie consumption than those living in Greek housing (27%) or those living off campus (21%) (x’ = 12.0, p < .01). Vegetables and fruits (fresh or canned) were least likely to be consumed daily by students who lived off campus. Thirty-one percent of the off-campus students reported they ate fresh vegetables daily. This compares with 56% of dormitory residents and 55% of students living in sororities or fraternities. We asked respondents to rate the overall adequacy of their diet on a scale of 1 to 10. Mean ratings for the three groups were 6.27 for students living on campus, 6.68 for off-campus residents, and 6.24 for those in Greek housing. We found no significant differences in how students rated their diets based on where they lived. Significant differences (p < .05) were found between men and women for 10 of the 27 food selections (Table 2). Forty-five percent of the women reported they drank sugar-free soft drinks daily, compared with 23% of the men (x’ = 7.2, p < .05). Eighteen percent of the men, however, reported that they drank sugar-sweetened soft drinks, compared with 10% of the women (x’ = 8.07, p < .02). Men were significantly more likely
)ACH
EFFECT OF RfSlDENCf ON FOOD CHOKE
Downloaded by [Monash University Library] at 07:44 23 October 2015
TABLE 1 Consumption of Selected Foods by Students living On Campus, Off Campus, and in Greek Housing
Item
O n campus (n = 65) D W M % Of0 Of0
Beer* * Fresh vegetables** Canned fruit** Canned vegetables* * Fish* Cookies * White bread* * Unsweetened cereal* *
3 56 19 19 3 35 10 3
67 11 43 33 48 9 65 52
30 33 38 48 49 56 25 44
Greek housing (n = 25) D W M % % Yo
Off campus (n = 62) D W M
0 55 23 32
3 31 1 4 0 21 15 19
4
27 32 32
82 41 68 59 23 50 45 36
18 4 9 9 73 23 23 32
Of0
Of0
55 63 37 54 33 45 25 39
42 6 61 42 67 34 60 42
~
* p < .05;* * p < ,001. Note: D = daily consumption (1 2 serving per day).
W M
- weekly consumption (1-6 sewings per week).
=
monthly consumption (< 1 serving per month).
TABLE 2 Food Consumption Patterns of Male and Female Students
Daily
2 1 serving per day Item
Male %
Female %
Weekly 1-6 servings per week Male Female %
%
Monthly
4 1 serving per month Male Female % ~~~
Sugar-free soft drink* Sugar-sweetened soft drink* Beer** Fresh vegetables** Chicken* Beef* * Pork* Fish** Whole grain bread* White bread * *
% ~
23 18
45 10
24 46
22 28
53 36
33 62
12 24
0 53 3 7 0 0 57 13
53 70 88 82
23 33 72 48 23 25 25 28
35 6 8 6 55 47 21 27
77 13 25 45 77 75 18 58
5
12 2 3
35 39
44 50 44 33
* p < .05; * * p < .01.
than women to consume beer on a daily to weekly basis (x’ = 21.15, p < .01). We also found significant differences between men and women in terms of meat consumption (p < .05), with chi-square values of 6.47 (p < .05) for chicken, 24.87 (p < .01) for beef, 7.17 (p < .05) for pork, and 11.61 (p < .01) for fish consumption. Men were significantly more likely to consume white bread on a daily basis (x’ = 6.71, p < .05) compared with women, who preferred whole grain breads (x’ = 15.09, p < .01).
V0138, MARCH 1990
Diet, Weight, and Exercise Practices Only 1 of 6 variables was significantly different with respect to students’ residence (Table 3). Students living in Greek housing were less likely to skip meals, compared with students living on or off campus (x2 = 5.99, p < .05). Approximately 64% of the Greek students reported rarely skipping meals, whereas 34% of the students who lived on campus and 34% of the off-campus residents rarely skipped. Of the students who reported
217
Downloaded by [Monash University Library] at 07:44 23 October 2015
COL1ECE HEALTH regularly skipping meals, the most frequently reported reason was lack of time (61%). Students who lived off campus were more likely to take vitamin supplements (27%) and to eat at fast-food restaurants on a daily basis (20%). The majority of students reported that they exercised on a daily to weekly basis. Only 15% of the respondents said that they rarely exercised. Forty-seven of the 152 respondents were satisfied with their weight (31%), but a majority of the students (60%) rated themselves as slightly to greatly overweight. Of the students who were satisfied with their weight, 45% lived off campus. In addition, 51 o/o of the students who reported infrequent dieting lived off campus. Differences between male and female responses with respect to dietary, weight loss, and exercise practices were identified using the chi-square statistic (Table 4). Approximately 46% of male respondents perceived themselves as overweight. These values were compared with calculated values reported in the 1983 Metropolitan Life Height and Weight Table.’’ Based on selfreported heights, weights, and body frame, 54% of the men actually exceeded their recommended weight range. Seventy-one percent of the women thought of themselves as overweight, but when compared with
calculated values, less than 23% actually exceeded their recommended weight range. Differences between the responses of men and women about how often they skipped meals were not significant. Approximately 42% of the men rarely skipped meals, compared with 36% of the women. The women were more likely to be on weight-reduction diets than were the men (x’ = 27.53, p < .001). Seventy-five percent of the male respondents reported they rarely dieted, compared with 33% of the females. Gender differences were not significant with regard to daily exercise (x’ = 5.59, p < .35). Approximately 78% of the students reported they exercised at least once per week. The percentage of men who reported they exercised regularly (81%) did not differ significantly from values observed for women (75%).
DISCUSSION The results of our study indicate that where they live and their sex may influence food choice and dietary practices of students at Washington State University. The differences in male and female eating patterns are consistent with other studie~.~,’-’~ Although this study relied upon self-report and perceptual measures of
TABLE 3 Diet, Weight, and Exercise Patterns of Students, by Residence
Variable
O n campus
Off campus
Greek housing
n
OJO
n
Yo
n
41 21
66 34
44 23
66 34
8 14
36 64
4 55 4
6 87 7
13 51 3
20 76 4
2 19 1
9 86 5
21 30 12
33 48 19
25 33 9
37 79 14
13 7 2
59 32 9
19 40 3
31 65 4
21 39 7
31 58 10
7 12 3
32 55 13
4 31 28
7 49 44
2 25 40
3 37 60
3 9 10
14 41 45
12 19 32
19 30 51
18 24 25
27 36 37
3 8 11
14 36 50
OJLl
Skip meals* Regularly Rarely Fast-food restaurants Regularly (1-3 x /week) Occasionally (1-4x/month) Rarely (
