Scheduled for Research Coordinating Board Poster Session I, Wednesday, March 31, 2004, 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM, Convention Center: Exhibit Hall Poster Session


A Description of Eating Practices of Selected University Students

Nancy Parsons1, Jamie L. Johnson2 and Susan M. Moore1, (1)Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL, (2)Macomb, IL

This study described five eating practices among university students—when, where, with whom, how, and why (exclusive of psychological need) people eat. A simple random sample of undergraduate students including traditional and non-traditional students from a four-year Midwestern university was administered. The Eating Awareness Inventory and Respondent Profile Questionnaire was distributed using Internet technology via university approved email addresses. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the eating practices of these university students. Time of day/week, sources where food was obtained, interpersonal relationships, repetitive acts of eating, and affective or situational cues were various factors which tended to influence the students’ eating practices. Health educators need to recognize the existing dietary patterns of students as part of the process of motivating them to apply nutritional knowledge to their eating practices in an attempt to reduce risk of obesity.

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