East Asian International Students’ Perceptions, Attitudes, and Behaviors in Relation to US Food and the Food Environment

Abstract

Objective: The perceived high cost of healthier food items is a common barrier for individuals seeking to improve personal dietary patterns. FRUVEDomics Pilot Study examined food costs of college students enrolled in a non-diet free-living intervention. The 8-week dietary intervention focused on half the plate being fruits and vegetables, based on the USDA MyPlate. Method: Meal receipts were obtained weekly from participants (n¼48) enrolled in the 8-week dietary intervention. Three participants were excluded from the analysis, based on exclusion criteria of medication use and campus dining meal plan (n¼45). Diet compliance of intervention was rated by researchers based on fruit and vegetable intake from the participant's dietary food log, receipt matching, food pictures, weekly 1 hour RDN consult. Results: Diet compliant individuals, on average, spent $95.73 per week compared to non-compliant individuals spending $66.24 per week. A two sample t-test with unequal variances between compliant and non-compliant participants found compliant participants spent a statistically higher amount on food (p¼0.0123). A regression analysis controlling for age, sex, BMI, and Appalachian or non-Appalachian, also found statistical significance between compliant and non-compliant individuals (<0.0001). Conclusion: Young adults compliant with the USDA My Plate guidelines, focusing on fruit and vegetable intake, increased food cost spending by $ $29.00 per week. These findings can contribute to research incentive design, program planning cost, and counseling of this population.