Nutritional Habits of College Students

Vernon (1988) reported that adolescents have poor eating habits. Similarly, Papalia and Olds (1992) have noted that overeating of junk food, lack of iron-rich foods and insufficient milk intake has resulted in substantial mineral deficiencies in adolescent populations. These findings lead to the question of whether eating habits improve once adolescents leave high school and enter college. In an effort to answer this question, as well as determine nutritional strengths and weaknesses, this study examined the nutritional/dietary habits of a sample of 100 university students who lived off-campus but not with their parents or other adults.

Subjects in the study consisted of 100 UCR students (50 females and 50 males) between 19 and 31 years of age with a mean age of 23.2. All subjects in the study lived off campus but not with their parents or other adults.

The researcher, positioned outside of the campus cafeteria, stopped every third unaccompanied person leaving the facility and ascertained his/her living arrangements. If the person lived off-campus and not with parents or other adults, he/she was asked to complete the study's test instrument on nutritional dietary habits.

2 Every third person was stopped in order to randomize subject selection and avoid selection based on the subconscious idiosyncratic perceptions of the

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this survey on your eating habits. The survey should take no more than five minutes to complete. Please answer all of the questions to the best of your ability by writing Y for "yes" or N for "no" in your responses to each survey item. _________________________________________________________________ ______ I seldom have soft drinks ______ I eat some fruits and vegetables every day ______ I limit my intake of refined foods or of foods that have sugar added. ______ I read the ingredient labels on foods when I shop. ______ I use food/vitamin supplements. ______ I limit my use of coffee and/or non-herbal teas to three cups per day. ______ I have a good appetite and maintain my body within 15 percent of my ideal weight. ______ I have high roughage in my diet. ______ I limit the use of salt in cooking or in eating prepared foods. ______ My meals vary in type of protein; that is, I get good amounts of fish, fowl, vegetable, protein, and milk proteins. ______ I am aware of, or take, the optimum daily requirements for calories. ______ I am aware of, or take, the optimum daily requirements for protein. ______ I am aware of, or take, the optimum daily requirements for vitamins and minerals. ______ I limit my fat intake. ______ I do not
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Approximate Word count = 1217
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

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