Breakfast Habits Among College Students

1. Breakfast Habits Among College Students Executive Summary Tim Hennessy

2. Background & Literature Review • Campus Food and Beverage Purchases in College Students • Better Eaters Have Higher Knowledge of Dietary Guidance • Campus Vending Machines Food Choices • Diet Quality and Academic Performance • Skipping Breakfast and Reproductive Dysfunction in College Students

3. Methods • A questionnaire survey was administered to a population of students in the Health and Exercise Science department • 15 surveys were completed and tallied

4. Basic Description of Study • The questionnaire survey sought to find out the majority of students breakfast consumption habits • 9 out of 15 students commuted to campus • The survey asked whether students were concerned about their nutritional habits and if it was easier to make healthy choices on campus

5. Instrumentation • The questionnaire survey had some demographics questions to determine whether the participants were • - Male/Female • - Athlete/Non-athlete • - Age • - Year in college • - Commuter/Non-commuter

6. Results • 11/15 students reported not using any of Rowan’s meal plans • 5/15 reported “Always” eating breakfast, 6/15 reported eating breakfast “More than 3” times per week, 3 reported “Less than 3” times per week and 1 reported “Never” eating breakfast • 11/15 reported that they focus better in class or on exams when they consume breakfast • 14/15 students responded “True” that they are very concerned with eating healthy foods

7. Table 1

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10. Discussion • Overwhelming the majority of students were concerned with eating healthy so it’s clear that students do want to have healthy choices available on campus • Despite the majority of students agreeing that consuming breakfast helps them focus better in class, there is still a large portion of our population that isn’t consuming breakfast regularly.

11. Evaluation • A larger sample size population is needed for future studies so that an accurate comparison of commuters versus on campus students can be understood • Further research into the students on campus that buy food with meal plans should be investigated • Also, studying the campus as a whole instead of looking at only the Health & Exercise Science department will provide more significant feedback and a better representation of the college

12. References • Ali, H. I., Jarrar, A. H., Abo-El-Enen, M., Shamsi, M. A., & Ashqar, H. A. (2015). Students' perspectives on promoting healthful food choices from campus vending machines: A qualitative interview study. BMC Public Health, 15(1), 1-8. doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1859-2 • Florence, M. D., Asbridge, M., & Veugelers, P. J. (2008). Diet quality and academic performance. Journal of School Health, 78(4), 209-215. doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2008.00288.x • Fujiwara, T., & Nakata, R. (2010). Skipping breakfast is associated with reproductive dysfunction in post-adolescent female college students. Appetite, 55(3), 714-717. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2010.08.005 • Kolodinsky, J., Harvey-Berino, J., Berlin, L., Johnson, R. K., & Reynolds, T. W. (2007). Knowledge of current dietary guidelines and food choice by college students: Better eaters have higher knowledge of dietary guidance. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 107(8), 1409-1413. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2007.05.016 • Pelletier, J. E., & Laska, M. N. (2013). Campus food and beverage purchases are associated with indicators of diet quality in college students living off campus. American Journal of Health Promotion, 28(2), 80-87. doi:10.4278/ajhp.120705-QUAN-326 • Real men do not read labels: The effects of masculinity and involvement on college students' food decisions. (2006). Journal of American College Health, 55(2), 91-98. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=22543958&site=ehost-live • (2008). Breakfast and Health. Foodinsight.org. International Food Information Council Foundation.