On‐campus food purchasing behaviours and satisfaction of Australian university students

Abstract

Issue addressed: Many university students have unhealthy dietary intake. The food environment on university campuses is a potentially important contributor to students' diet. This study aimed to describe on-campus food purchasing behaviours; satisfaction with the cost and availability of foods and beverages on-campus; and preferences for the on-campus food environment, in a sample of Australian university students.Methods: An online cross-sectional survey of 409 students at the University of Newcastle, Australia was conducted in 2017-2018. The survey assessed on-campus purchasing behaviours (frequency of purchase and expenditure), satisfaction with the cost and availability of foods, preferences for the on-campus food environment, and socio-demographics (eg age, domestic/international student). Results are reported as basic descriptive statistics. Results:The majority of students (94%) purchased food or beverages on-campus, with 59% purchasing at least once per week. Satisfaction with the availability of foods was low (35.8% satisfied with the types of main meals available, and 48.5% for snacks); however, 72.8% were satisfied with types of beverages available. The majority of students were not satisfied with the cost of food and beverages (<40%).The top-rated preferences for changes to the on-campus food environment were healthier options, higher quality food, and cheaper food. Conclusion:Overall, the findings demonstrate strong support from students for healthier and cheaper food to be made available on-campus.So what?: There are two main factors of concern with regard to university food environments; the healthiness of food and beverage options and their cost. These should be key considerations of any future strategies aiming to improve university food environments.

Diet Quality among Students Attending an Australian University Is Compromised by Food Insecurity and Less Frequent Intake of Home Cooked Meals. A Cross-Sectional Survey Using the Validated Healthy Eating Index for Australian Adults (HEIFA-2013)

“…Food environment and purchasing on campus may affect the diet quality of tertiary education students, although this was not measured in our study. Previous studies from the U.S. and Australia found more frequent purchases of foods and beverages on campus were associated with poorer diet quality and less healthy eating habits, such as less frequent breakfast and higher consumption of energy-dense, nutrient-poor choices [ 56 , 57 , 58 ]. Higher availability of healthy options with cheaper prices were often suggested by food environment audits on campus and student surveys [ 38 , 56 , 59 ].…”

Food insecurity was negatively associated with adherence to the “fruits, vegetables, and foods rich in animal protein” dietary pattern among university students’ households: the 2018 Mexican National Household Survey

“…University students with FI report that one of the barriers to accessing food more frequently (very often/often) compared to food-secure students is the high cost of food [ 10 ]. For instance, in a sample of Australian university students, the majority were dissatisfied with the cost of food and drinks and one of the main changes suggested in the campus food environment was cheaper food [ 43 ]. The cost of the diet increases as the quality of the diet increases.…”

“…Particularly, regarding the food environment in universities, one study showed that most college students were dissatisfied with the types of main meals and snacks available on campus. The main changes these students suggested included healthier options and higher-quality foods [ 43 ]. Another study that evaluated the characteristics of the food sales establishments located inside and outside of university centers in Mexico identified that none offered the nutritional value of the dishes, only 20.3% of the establishments evaluated had a salad bar, 46.2% provided preparations with vegetables, and 51.9% offered sugar-free drinks.…”

Healthy Food Policies Documented in University Food Service Contracts

“…In recent years, there has been a growing interest in examining food choices and dietary habits among college students as well as the healthfulness of the university food environment [ 28 ]. Much of the research examines predictors of healthy food purchasing [ 13 , 18 , 19 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ] and perceptions of the campus environment [ 19 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 ]. Additionally, some research has investigated the quality of food and beverages available to college students [ 5 , 16 , 17 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 ].…”