Purpose: The obesity epidemic in the United States is of great concern as it has been linked to increased risk of morbidity for hypertension, dyslipidemia, type II diabetes, coronary heart disease, and cancers. The epidemic can be addressed by understanding what factors influence health choices so as to develop culturally-appropriate material and programs. The purpose of the study is to determine what factors influence students' nutrition choices and physical activity. The study compares nutrition and physical activity factors that influence decisions made between students from the United States and International students or recent immigrants to the United States. All students were attending a medium-sized university set in a college town. Design: The research utilized qualitative and quantitative research designs. An intake form was collected for demographic purposes and to determine behaviors practiced by participants. The intake form included a combination of open-ended and closed questions. One in-depth interview and two focus groups were conducted with International students and recent immigrants of African descent. Three focus groups were conducted with students who were U.S. citizens. Descriptive statistics computed data from the participant intake form. T-tests compared BMI and means of behavior data between International students and U.S. students. Analysis of qualitative data utilized content analysis. Tapes were transcribed and transcriptions were reviewed. Themes were identified from the data and were grouped. Fifteen International students and twelve U.S. students participated in the study. There were 12 males and 15 females. Results: The average BMI was 25.2 for International students and 26.1 for U.S. students. However, 60% of students were within the normal BMI range. Although 13% of all participants were obese, 27% of male participants were obese. Time was the primary constraining factor for not eating nutritiously or participating in physical activity. Additionally, students felt that living on campus was a barrier to their nutrition choices. They felt that they were not given nutritious, or a variety of options. Students that lived off-campus were more likely to cite high financial costs as a barrier to not eating nutritiously. International students added that there was not enough education about eating healthy. All students felt that there were few barriers preventing them from participating in physical activities. Almost 60% of students indicated that walking was their primary means of transport and thus physical activity. Students averaged walking about 2 miles daily.