UH4504: Honors Discovery and Innovation Studios
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Browsing UH4504: Honors Discovery and Innovation Studios by Subject "Childhood Meals"
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- What factors impact off-campus college student's eating habits?Dhaveji, Sidhu; Hentemann, Stephanie; Hernandez, Lyann; Riccio, Jillian; Sivam, Shruthy (2024-05-01)Lack of food awareness among college students can lead to detrimental health outcomes, including poor nutrition and unhealthy imbalances. We aimed to assess the eating habits in relation to the dietary guidelines set by MyPlate by conducting a comprehensive survey that would help us determine which factors affect students’ knowledge and habits the most. Every question’s reasoning is backed by research and is written and intended to provide information on frequencies of intake of fruit, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy as well as intake of fast food. Each question was categorized into different buckets to target specific areas of effect, and respondent characteristics were considered to better comprehend how different demographics affect these buckets and in what ways. The Blacksburg campus is a sample of this overall population. Using a small mock sample, we hypothesized the survey results based on student characteristics. Our model replicates an outcome that shows off–campus college students do not meet the criteria for healthy eating according to MyPlate, with many going over the recommendation for grains and below for other categories such as vegetables, protein, and dairy. The hypothesis replicates a concerning trend in need of intervention. After refinement and validation of the survey, the collected data could be incorporated in Hokie Wellness and Schiffert's Health Center initiatives to encourage healthy eating.