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Abstract
Though all age groups have been impacted, late adolescents, including college students, have experienced some of the largest increases in obesity. Poor eating habits contribute to excessive body weight and other health issues. Unfortunately, college students do not tend to eat well. Further, eating habits developed during the college years often persist beyond graduation. Although dietary recommendations, gender, and place of residence are among the most frequently researched influences on college students' food selections and diet quality, awareness of how these factors moderate students' food choices is necessary to facilitate the development of more effective educational and environmental interventions, and to better prepare students to move beyond college with a better understanding about how to make healthier food choices and keep themselves well. The objective of this review was to elucidate and describe the factors that influence college students' food choices.
Keywords: Adolescence, college student, food choice, living arrangement.
Introduction
Overweight and obesity continue to be at the forefront of health concerns in the United States. Some of the largest increases in overweight and obesity have been observed among late adolescents and young adults. Between 1991 and 2001, obesity among 18-29 year olds doubled from 7.1% to 14% (1,2). More recently, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) 2009 data indicate that among 18 to 24 year olds, 25.3% and 17.8% are overweight and obese, respectively (3). Similarly, of those college students who completed the National College Health Assessment in 2010, 21.9% were overweight and 11.6% were obese (4).
The period of life from the late teens to the mid-20s is characterized by much "change and exploration". Leaving home for college demands taking greater responsibility for one's own day-to-day activities. Unfortunately, college students frequently engage in risky health behaviors, including poor eating habits, that worsen throughout their college careers (5, 6), putting them at risk for serious diet-related health problems in the short term as well as in the future. Improving these behaviors and health during this malleable life-stage for the over 11 million 18-24 year olds enrolled in college in the United States (7) is a substantial challenge. The objective of this review is to discuss the factors that contribute to the food intake decisions made by college students.
Knowledge
Though knowledge of...