L.E.D.D. powerpoint1

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Recently there has been an increased interest in the eating habits of Americans. This is the result of Americans becoming more obese and less healthy (Levi, Chan & Pence, 2006). In addition, research shows that there is much concern regarding the unhealthy lifestyles of college students, because the habits developed in college are said to continue into adulthood (Habermen & Luffey, 1998). For example, Levi et al. (2006) found that those with a college education showed an increase percentage of obesity. Method Discussion Food Preferences Among Graduate Students: A Brief Survey Lindsay Adler, Jose Alvarado, Eileen Chang, Doris Hollowell Azusa Pacific University Figure 1. Total Healthy vs. Unhealthy Options Figure 3. Quantitative Results References Literature Review Results Twenty-four graduate students from Azusa Pacific University were recruited, of which twenty-one students completed the survey. These students were currently enrolled in the Marriage and Family Therapy graduate program. They all received an email with the link to take the survey. Put a thumbnail version of your first chart here, along with a brief title. You will put the larger version on its own ppt slide after the Results section Our hypothesis, that students would prefer healthy foods, was supported and can be seen in Figure 1, which depicts the total healthy and unhealthy food choices. Overall, participants chose the healthier food option when given a choice between a healthy food item and an unhealthy food item. The results of our survey supported our hypothesis that students would prefer healthy foods to unhealthy foods. The results seemed to contradict most of our literature reviews. Cooper, Hannah (2010) “Fast Food Firmly Entrenched in Student’s Lifestyle”, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/175788.php Cousineau, T., Goldstein, M., & Franko, D. (2004). A Collaborative Approach to Nutrition Education for College Students. Journal of American College Health, 53(2), 79-84. doi:10.3200/JACH.53.2.79-84. L.E.D.D. L.E.D.D.

Recently there has been an increased interest in the eating habits of Americans. This is the result of Americans becoming more obese and less healthy (Levi, Chan & Pence, 2006). In addition, research shows that there is much concern regarding the unhealthy lifestyles of college students, because the habits developed in college are said to continue into adulthood (Habermen & Luffey, 1998). For example, Levi et al. (2006) found that those with a college education showed an increase percentage of obesity. According to research, a number of factors contribute to college students’ lack of healthy eating habits. Cousineau, Goldstein, and Franko (2004) found that the added stress of college transitions contributed to unhealthy behaviors, such as bad eating habits. In Hudd, et al. (2000), researchers assessed a wide range of health related habits of college students, including factors such as sleep frequency, stress, dietary habits, and use of vitamin supplements. Results proved that those students who felt more stress were more likely to practice a number of poor health habits. In addition, Jensen (2007) found that factors that often influence food choices are time, money, and food quality. It was also found that the primary support system of college students, consisting of roommates and fellow students, exhibited positive or negative influences in many areas of their lives, including eating habits. Hence, peer pressure can contribute to poor food choices. Cooper (2010) agreed by providing an example of a man who was teased for choosing a salad over a more substantial meal, such as a hamburger. In addition, Jensen (2007) found that most college students had not developed the life skills and discipline to eat healthier. This concept becomes apparent from the study conducted by Jackson, Berry and Kennedy (2009), who found that students living at home ate healthier foods than those living on campus or an apartment during college. Those students living at home tended to eat fast food less often, packed lunches provided with foods chosen by their parents, and ate dinner at home with the family. Jackson et al. (2009) also found that unhealthy behaviors built upon another. Therefore, students who lived on campus, ate less healthy foods, and tended to drink twice as much alcohol as those who lived at home. According to some research, students intend to eat healthier, but for various reasons they do not follow through with their good intentions. Farrell (2002) found that students often express the desire to eat healthier foods, but often chose to eat less healthy options, such as burgers, fries, and pizza. In addition, Verplanken and Faes, (1999) researched whether planned meals contribute to healthier eating styles. In this study, researchers assisted in helping students implement a plan of what healthy foods they would eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks on an ideal day. The control group lacked daily food planning. Results found that those who planned their food for the day did eat somewhat healthier. This research indicated that having a meal plan can assist in healthier eating habits. : 

Literature Review Recently there has been an increased interest in the eating habits of Americans. This is the result of Americans becoming more obese and less healthy (Levi, Chan & Pence, 2006). In addition, research shows that there is much concern regarding the unhealthy lifestyles of college students, because the habits developed in college are said to continue into adulthood (Habermen & Luffey, 1998). For example, Levi et al. (2006) found that those with a college education showed an increase percentage of obesity. According to research, a number of factors contribute to college students’ lack of healthy eating habits. Cousineau, Goldstein, and Franko (2004) found that the added stress of college transitions contributed to unhealthy behaviors, such as bad eating habits. In Hudd, et al. (2000), researchers assessed a wide range of health related habits of college students, including factors such as sleep frequency, stress, dietary habits, and use of vitamin supplements. Results proved that those students who felt more stress were more likely to practice a number of poor health habits. In addition, Jensen (2007) found that factors that often influence food choices are time, money, and food quality. It was also found that the primary support system of college students, consisting of roommates and fellow students, exhibited positive or negative influences in many areas of their lives, including eating habits. Hence, peer pressure can contribute to poor food choices. Cooper (2010) agreed by providing an example of a man who was teased for choosing a salad over a more substantial meal, such as a hamburger. In addition, Jensen (2007) found that most college students had not developed the life skills and discipline to eat healthier. This concept becomes apparent from the study conducted by Jackson, Berry and Kennedy (2009), who found that students living at home ate healthier foods than those living on campus or an apartment during college. Those students living at home tended to eat fast food less often, packed lunches provided with foods chosen by their parents, and ate dinner at home with the family. Jackson et al. (2009) also found that unhealthy behaviors built upon another. Therefore, students who lived on campus, ate less healthy foods, and tended to drink twice as much alcohol as those who lived at home. According to some research, students intend to eat healthier, but for various reasons they do not follow through with their good intentions. Farrell (2002) found that students often express the desire to eat healthier foods, but often chose to eat less healthy options, such as burgers, fries, and pizza. In addition, Verplanken and Faes, (1999) researched whether planned meals contribute to healthier eating styles. In this study, researchers assisted in helping students implement a plan of what healthy foods they would eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks on an ideal day. The control group lacked daily food planning. Results found that those who planned their food for the day did eat somewhat healthier. This research indicated that having a meal plan can assist in healthier eating habits.

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Literature Review Other research has documented a significant difference in the eating habits of males and females. Cooper (2010) found that women are more health conscious in regards to their eating habits than men are. Cooper also found that men think of cooking as “women’s work”, which is one reason they frequently ate outside the home, and perhaps eat less healthy. Levi, Chan and Pence (2006) found that some men feel that concern over food is a feminine issue, indicating that the “macho” image affects their food choices. In addition, Levi et al. (2006) found that women were more concerned then men, regarding factors related to healthy lifestyles, such as reading food labels. Therefore, the dietary habits of men may be of more concern than that of women. Although our particular research project was based on the diet recommended by the American Diabetes Association, previous research defined a “healthy diet” using the standard five basic food groups, along with the amount consumed of each group. According to Rodriquez (2004), carbohydrates and fats make up most of the caloric intake of college students, while fruits and vegetables were consumed less often, resulting in a lower intake of dietary fiber and vitamins. Furthermore, the research study by Racett and Deusinger (2005) stated that baseline dietary habits of students did not meet the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables, resulting in 70% of the students gaining an average of nine pounds during the first two years of college. In addition, Haberman and Luffey (1998) found that students consumed higher than the recommended quantities of total fat, ate inadequate amounts of fruits and vegetables, and exhibited poor exercise habits. They also found that 76% of the students reported they ate the same foods day after day and 80% of the students said they consumed inadequate quantities of grains, fruits, vegetables and dairy products. One study of college freshman women however, seemed to provide evidence that the reason these women gained an average of about 3.08 pounds their first year, was due to lowered physical activity (Jung, Bray & Ginis, 2008). Therefore, Jung et al. (2008) concluded that weight gain could be the result of decreased physical activity and not caloric intake. From reviewed literature, we have concluded that research is warranted regarding the dietary habits of college students. However, we have hypothesized that, despite the current research stating college students choose unhealthy food options, our participants will prefer to choose healthy food.

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Method Participants Twenty-four graduate students from Azusa Pacific University were recruited, of which twenty-one students completed the survey. These students were currently enrolled in the Marriage and Family Therapy graduate program. They all received an email with the link to take the survey. Materials A computer with online access was key for this research. The eCourse webpage was used to gather procedural information from the course syllabus. A blog page was created to post information about the research (i.e. literature reviews), and to exchange any type of communication amongst group members. The researchers used the American Diabetes Association website to gather information regarding healthier food choices. A survey was created for the study through SurveyMonkey, an online survey and questionnaire program. Upon participant completion of the surveys, responses were displayed in the results section of the SurveyMonkey website. Method Participants Twenty-four graduate students were recruited from Azusa Pacific University, of which twenty-one students completed the survey. These students were currently enrolled in the Marriage and Family Therapy graduate program. They all received an email with the link to take the survey. Materials A computer with online access was key for this research. We used the eCourse webpage to gather procedural information from the course syllabus. A blog page was created to post information about our research (i.e. literature reviews), and to exchange any type of communication amongst the group members. Our group used the American Diabetes Association website to get information about healthier choices in food. We created a survey for our research through SurveyMonkey. Upon participant completion of the surveys, responses were displayed in the analyze results section in SurveyMonkey.

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Method Insert your Method text here. Text must be at least 20 point Arial font Entire Method section will not fit on one page, so cut and paste so that it fits “smoothly” over multiple pages You are welcome to be creative with pictures, text wrapping, etc.! Method Procedure Upon forming a small group of four, researchers decided on studying graduate student food choices.This process was started by creating a blog, where the researchers could exchange information, questions, and further discuss the research. One member created the blog page through www.blogger.com. This reseracher had a google account which enabled them to open a blog and add the rest of the group members as authors. Then, each member of the group researched 3 articles for the literature review. Once this was completed each researcher posted their review onto blog. After all literature reviews where posted, the research topic was formally proposed to the professor, which contained the proposed participants and literature reviews. Then we were required to participate in a role-playing exercise, where a member of our group had to play a member of an Institutional Review Board (IRB) and evaluate other group’s topic proposals for ethical issues, as they evaluated our topic proposal. We stated our hypothesis, the participants, and the problem to be solved. We stated that students would choose a picture of a healthy food vs. the picture of an unhealthy food item. The other group’s concern was about the pictures we would use. After discussing this concern with our group we decided to not use pictures and that in our survey we would just give the participants food choices with no pictures. To start our survey we wanted to get an idea of healthy food choices. As such, we went to the American Diabetes Association website to obtain a list of healthy eating choices and unhealthy eating choices. We designed a survey that included both qualitative and quantitative data, and we sent it to the OIRA (Office of Institutional Research & Assessment) for approval prior to distributing them to the participants. The survey had 8 forced alternative questions where a food choice was given, between a healthy food choice and an unhealthy food choice. There were also 2 open-ended questions that were asked to collect further data. We used SurveyMonkey.com to create the survey and we once approved we distributed them via email. We obtained the email addresses from fellow classmates from the eCourse page. There were 21 graduate student participates who took the survey. The surveys were completely confidential. There were no questions in regards to age, sex, ethnicity, etc…Once the surveys were completed, we obtained the results from the analyze results section in SurveyMonkey. In order to calculate the standard deviations and the means we used an online standard deviation calculator. The healthy option was coded with a 1, the unhealthy option with a 2, and the no response category with a 3. Once the results were calculated we charted them and posted them on our blog page. Finally, we divided the work for the poster session and created our poster. Method Procedure Upon forming our small group of 4, we decided on studying graduate student food choices. We started this process by creating a blog where we could exchange any information we obtained, any questions we had, or any further discussions. One member in our group created a blog page through www.blogger.com. The assigned person had a google account and was able to open up the blog and add the rest of the members as authors for that blog. Then, each member of the group researched 3 articles for our literature review. Once this was completed we posted them in the blog. After this was done we formally proposed the research topic to our professor, which contained our proposed participants and excerpts from our literature review. Then we were required to participate in a role-playing exercise, where a member of our group had to play a member of an Institutional Review Board (IRB) and evaluate other group’s topic proposals for ethical issues, as they evaluated our topic proposal. We stated our hypothesis, the participants, and the problem to be solved. We stated that students would choose a picture of a healthy food vs. the picture of an unhealthy food item. The other group’s concern was about the pictures we would use. After discussing this concern with our group we decided to not use pictures and that in our survey we would just give the participants food choices with no pictures. To start our survey we wanted to get an idea of healthy food choices. As such, we went to the American Diabetes Association website to obtain a list of healthy eating choices and unhealthy eating choices. We designed a survey that included both qualitative and quantitative data, and we sent it to the OIRA (Office of Institutional Research & Assessment) for approval prior to distributing them to the participants. The survey had 8 forced alternative questions where a food choice was given, between a healthy food choice and an unhealthy food choice. There were also 2 open-ended questions that were asked to collect further data. We used SurveyMonkey.com to create the survey and we once approved we distributed them via email. We obtained the email addresses from fellow classmates from the eCourse page. There were 21 graduate student participates who took the survey. The surveys were completely confidential. There were no questions in regards to age, sex, ethnicity, etc…Once the surveys were completed, we obtained the results from the analyze results section in SurveyMonkey. In order to calculate the standard deviations and the means we used an online standard deviation calculator. The healthy option was coded with a 1, the unhealthy option with a 2, and the no response category with a 3. Once the results were calculated we charted them and posted them on our blog page. Finally, we divided the work for the poster session and created our poster.

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Results Our hypothesis, that students would prefer healthy foods, was supported and can be seen in Figure 1, which depicts the total healthy and unhealthy food choices. Overall, participants chose the healthier food option when given a choice between a healthy food item and an unhealthy food item. Adequate responses were recorded for all items, except items 1 (oatmeal vs. bagel with cream cheese) and 7 (corn flakes vs. frosted flakes), which each contained a none response. For the majority of the time, students chose the healthier food option. However, when choosing between desert (i.e. sorbet or chocolate cake) and cereal (i.e. corn flakes and frosted flakes), participants chose the unhealthier option. These results can be seen on Figure 2, which depicts the results of individual food items. An overview of the quantitative results can be seen in Figure 3. In order to calculate the mean and standard deviation of each survey item, the following codes were assigned: (a) healthy items = 1, (b) unhealthy food items = 2, and (c) none responses = 3. On average, the mean (M = 1.28) showed that participants preferred grilled chicken breast, water, and guacamole dip (i.e. healthy food items) to chicken alfredo pasta, soft drink, and spinach artichoke dip (i.e. unhealthy food items). It appears that when given these options, participants tend to opt for the healthier food item. The standard deviation (SD = 0.46) showed that participants’ responses did not vary too greatly from the mean and was within 1 standard deviation from the mean. When analyzing results for Item 2 (i.e. turkey sandwich vs. hamburger), the mean (M = 1.38) showed that participants tend to choose the healthy item over a hamburger. The standard deviation (SD = 0.49) showed that participants’ responses did not vary too much from the mean and stayed within 1 standard deviation from the mean.

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Results When given a choice between fruit and cookie, on average (M = 1.33) participants were drawn more to fruit than a cookie. The standard deviation (SD = 0.48) showed that participants’ responses varied but stayed within 1 standard deviation from the mean. When analyzing between oatmeal vs. bagel with cream cheese, the mean was 1.43. Based on this result, it appears that participants chose almost equally between the two food items. However, the standard deviation (SD = 0.59) was high and demonstrated that participant responses varied greatly from the mean. An interesting finding was that when given a choice between sorbet and chocolate cake, on average, participants were more likely to choose the unhealthier food item (M = 1.71). However, the standard deviation (SD = 0.46) was similar to the standard deviation of Item 5 (i.e. water vs. soft drink). This demonstrated that although participants tend to choose cake over sorbet, their responses did not vary too much from the mean. Another interesting finding was that participants were greatly drawn to the unhealthier food item when given a choice between corn flakes and frosted flakes (M = 1.80). However, participant responses also varied greatly from the mean (SD = 0.51).

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Results For our survey, we included two qualitative questions. Participants were asked to list two factors that influence their food choices (as depicted in Figure 4) and provide a statement as to how they would categorize between healthy versus unhealthy food items. The top two factors that influenced participants’ food choices were taste and whether or not the food item is healthy. Other responses included, but not limited to, oiliness of the food, calories, price, texture, stress level, availability and diet. Participants’ view on categorizing healthy and unhealthy food items varied. Overall, most participants defined healthy as “organic and fresh”, and unhealthy as “high in fat and fried”. Other responses for healthy items included “non-greasy, lean, homemade, low-fat, low-sugar, no preservatives, good for the body, more expensive, high protein, etc.”. Other responses for unhealthy items consisted of “oily, high fat grams, canned, high in sugar, fast food, makes you tired, high in saturated fat, taste good, processed, etc.”. Overall, participants’ responses to this item demonstrated that there are a variety of factors that attribute to their food choices.

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Figure 1. Total Healthy vs. Unhealthy Options

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Figure 2. Individual Healthy vs. Unhealthy Options

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Figure 3. Quantitative Results

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Figure 4. Factors Influencing Food Choices

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Discussion The results of our survey supported our hypothesis that students would prefer healthy foods to unhealthy foods. The results seemed to contradict most of our literature reviews. However, some research indicated that people might intend to eat healthy, yet lack to follow through with these intentions (Farrell, 2002). In another similar study, Verplanken and Faes (1999) stated individuals tend to disregard newer, wishful habits for older comfortable behaviors. Thus, these studies show that, although our participants may have the indicated the intention of choosing to eat healthier foods, they may not follow through. In our survey, when asked what provoked their choice of food options, the participants gave various responses. However, the two most common answers were based on how the foods tasted and how healthy the participants considered the item. These responses could be contradictory, since most often unhealthy foods are considered more tasteful. Thus, our survey could prove that individuals have mixed feelings between what seems tasteful with what they consider healthy. However, our results could prove that participants consider healthy foods more tasteful. One limitation of our study is that the survey questions could display the intention of our study. Thus, the participants may have chosen the healthier option, in attempts to look “healthy”. Another limitation is our sample population. We surveyed graduate students from only one particular college, thus we cannot generalize the results to all college students or the entire population. A third limitation is the lack of demographic information. We did not gather information regarding the gender, age or race of our participants, which inhibits generalization of our results. In addition, we failed to include food options for those having differing dietary lifestyles in our survey. For example, those who may have been vegetarian or vegan could have been forced to respond to an item they would never eat. In addition, this could have contributed to the two non-response items. Our sample size was rather small (i.e. 21 participants), which makes it difficult to generalize. Finally, although we used the diet recommended by the American Diabetic Association, the participants may have differing views of a healthy diet. Any further study regarding dietary habits of college students would benefit from analyzing demographic information, such as participant race, ethnicity, age and gender. Furthermore, it may be beneficial to provide more food options that would encompass different diets, for instance vegetarianism. In addition, more research should be conducted regarding the reasons behind dietary choices. Particular consideration should be conducted regarding what college students consider tasteful and healthy.

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References Cooper, Hannah (2010) “Fast Food Firmly Entrenched in Student’s Lifestyle”, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/175788.php Cousineau, T., Goldstein, M., & Franko, D. (2004). A Collaborative Approach to Nutrition Education for College Students. Journal of American College Health, 53(2), 79-84. doi:10.3200/JACH.53.2.79-84. Farrell, E. F. (2002). Students Won’t Give Up Their French Fries. Chronicle for Higher Education, Vol. 48, Issue 44, p. A35. Farrell, E. F. (2002). Students Won’t Give Up Their French Fries. Chronicle for Higher Education, Vol. 48, Issue 44, p. A35. Food and Fitness: Fats. (n.d). In American Diabetes Association online article. Retrieved from http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/fats Habermen, S., and Luffey, D. (1998) “Weighing in College Students’ Diet and Exercise Behaviors”, Journal of American Health, Vol.46 Jan.1998 Hudd, S., Dumlao, J., Erdmann-Sager, D., Murray, D., Phan, E., Soukas, N., et al. (2000). Stress at college: Effects on health habits, health status and self-esteem. College Student Journal, 34(2), 217-227. Retrieved from PsycINFO database. Jackson, R. A, Berry, T. R., Kennedy, M. D. (2009). The Relationship Between Lifestyle and Campus Eating Behaviours in Male and Female University Students. College Student Journal, Vol. 43, No. 3, p. 860-71. Jensen, J. (2007) “Weight Stability and Influences upon Eating and Exercise Behaviors among College Students”, (Master of Science thesis, University of Oregon, 2007). Retrieved from http://library.oregonstate.edu/jspui/handle/1957/5899 Jung, M.E., Bray, S.R., & Ginis, A.M. (2008). Behavior change and the freshman 15: tracking physical activity and dietary patterns in 1st-year university women. Journal of American College Health, 56(5). Levi, Chan and Pence (2006) “Real Men Don’t Read Labels”: The Effects of Masculinity and Involvement on College Students’ Food Decisions, Journal of American College Health, Vol 55. No. 2 Racette, S.B., Deusinger, S.S., Strube, M.J., Highstein, G.R., & Deusinger, R.H. (2005). Weight changes, exercise, and dietary patterns during freshman and sophomore years of college. Journal of American College Health, 53(6). Rodriguez, J.C. (2004). Diets of college students. In D. C.S. James (Ed.), Nutrition and Well-Being A to Z, 1, 123-127. New York: Macmillan Reference. Retrieved from Gale Virtual Reference Library. Verplanken, B., & Faes, S. (1999). Good intentions, bad habits, and effects of forming implementation intentions on healthy eating. European Journal of Social Psychology, 29(5-6), 591-604. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1099-0992(199908/09)29:5/6<591::AID-EJSP948>3.0.CO;2-H.