Draft 1: Eating Habits and Time of Day:

This topic submitted by Nick Kelly, James Reddicliffe, Matt Marol ( kellynj@muohio.edu ) on 11/5/09. [Section: ]

Explorations in Inquiry---Western Program---Miami University

Eating Habits and Time of Day in College Age Students

Intro:
Our research project involves the consumption of food by college age students. We were really excited to do this research because we eat, and obviously, find it interesting how different factors may affect food choice. Therefore, we decided to look at how time of day affects what types of food people are eating, as well as if there are any gender differences. Our hypothesis is that the later into the night someone is eating, the less healthy choices they will be making. Additionally, we think that there will be a difference between men and women in regard to food choice and that women will generally choose healthier options. At the end of the study, we hope to determine whether food choice really is affected by time of day, and how we can use that to lead healthier lives.

Relevance:
Chapelot, D.; Payen, F. ÒComparison of the effects of a liquid yogurt and chocolate bars on satiety: a multidimensional approach.Ó British Journal of Nutrition,, 2009, p. 1-8.
This article discusses how having yogurt rather than a candy bar can make one feel fuller and reduce snacking, despite no difference in actual calorie count of the two items. This is relevant to our study because it shows that calories eaten at one meal is not the full story, because some foods don't leave you as full and thus cause snacking, which does increase overall caloric intake.

de Castro, JM. ÒWhen, how much and what foods are eaten are related to total daily food intake.Ó British Journal of Nutrition, v.Ê102 issueÊ8, 2009, p. 1228-37.
This article talks about how increased intake of food at night correlates with an overall increase in daily food consumption. This helps us analyze our research by demonstrating that higher nighttime food intake will likely be less healthy. In addition, this article mentions that higher density food sources later at night are even worse.

de Castro, JM. ÒThe time of day and the proportions of macronutrients eaten are related to total daily food intake.Ó British Journal of Nutrition, v.Ê98 issueÊ5, 2007, p. 1077-83.
This article again talks about how time of day affects total caloric intake, which relates to our study similarly to the above study.

von Bothmer, MI.; Fridlund, B. ÒGender differences in health habits and in motivation for a healthy lifestyle among Swedish university students.Ó Nursing and Health Sciences, v.Ê7 issueÊ2, 2005, p. 107-18.
The article is significant to our study because it discusses how most college students, at least in Sweden, have poor nutritional habits and the males tended to be overweight.

Deshpande, S.; Basil, MD.; Basil, DZ. ÒFactors influencing healthy eating habits among college students: an application of the health belief model.Ó Health Marketing Quarterly, v.Ê26 issueÊ2, 2009, p. 145-64.
The article showed that gender differences do exist in eating habits of college aged students. In addition, it states that those more concerned about the effects of weight gain are more likely to choose healthy options. Finally, off campus students typically eat different things than on campus students. Related to our study because if students are less concerned about health when intoxicated or late at night they should eat worse food.

Morse, KL.; Driskell, JA. ÒObserved sex differences in fast-food consumption and nutrition self-assessments and beliefs of college students.Ó Nutrition Research, v.Ê29 issueÊ3, 2009, p. 173-9.
In this article the authors discuss the fast food habits of college age students at a midwestern university. This relates directly to are study of how college students eat, and displays the diffe rences in fast food eating habits between male and female students. The study which was conducted with 101 men and 158 women, showed clearly that women care much more about the health content of their food.

Nelson, MC.; Story, M. ÒFood environments in university dorms: 20,000 calories per dorm room and counting.Ó American Journal of Preventive Medicine, v.Ê36 issueÊ6, 2009, p. 523-6.
This article is relevant to our study because it discusses the food that students keep in their dorm rooms. This may affect our data and study because kids will not go to the dining hall if they food in their rooms. Depending on what the kids have in their rooms they may eat healthier than a student who doesn't have food in his room late at night, or may have just as unhealthy junk. This study explores what kind of foods kids have in their rooms, so we can compare them with the late night students in the dining halls.

Gruber, KJ. ÒSocial support for exercise and dietary habits among college students.Ó Adolescence, v.Ê43 issueÊ171, 2008, p. 557-75.
This article is relevant to our study because it shows that women offer more support to eat healthier foods and therefore suggests that there might be a difference in eating habits between genders based on social support status, as well as men having more women friends might be more health conscious.

ÒPoor Eating Habits in College.Ó Online, Internet at http://ezinearticles.com/?
Poor-Eating-Habits-in-College&id=424232&opt=print (3 November 2009).

The following article is a specific account of how the college lifestyle affected studentsÕ eating habits. The accessibility, location, as well as time of day was factored into the equation, and for these subjects, the results were negative. The article begins with a detailed description of the specified living situation, nutritional preference, and overall campus dining experience and then segways into the affects of on campus meal choices on eating habits both out and at home. In addition to the locations of dining halls, the article provides information as to how gender and background play a role in shaping college eating habits in regards to such wide food accessibility.

ÒDiets of College Students.Ó Online, Internet at http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Ca-De/College-Students-Diets-of.html (3 November 2009).

This article is a great article providing basic information on all of the underlying factors college students experience on a daily basis that influence their eating habits and nutritional awareness. Some of these factors include time of day, stress, financial situation, location, and availability. The article speaks on the behalf of both genders and provides examples of both good and bad choices in regards to maintaining a healthy lifestyle in college. In addition, this article provides macronutrient breakdowns as they most commonly appear in popularly served items as well as their relative importance in regards to daily consumption and the roles they play in maintaining sufficient nutrition.

ÒCollege Eating Habits Analyzed by Researchers, Students.Ó Online, Internet at http://media.www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2002/09/23/Feature/College.Eating.Habits.Analyzed.By.Researchers.Students-279281.shtml (3 November 2009).

The following article is similar to the previous article. However, this particular article deals with the Òfreshmen 15Ó and begins to divide upperclassmen and new coming students in order to analyze their eating habits separately. Several college students of multiple genders and ages were interviewed in order to record data pertaining to their daily eating habits. The interesting catch within this article involves specific college students describing how situational influences such as time of day, mood, and class schedule all effect the quantity and quality of the food purchased at each meal. This article is probably will be the most influential to our research project in regards to its significant relevance.

ÒWhat do College Students Eat? Food Selection and Meal Pattern.Ó Online, Internet at
http://www.fao.org/agris/search/display.do?f=./1996/v2203/US9538531.
xml;US9538531 (3 November 2009).

This article is one of few we found that was both peer reviewed and consisted of relevant test data similar to our proposed experiment. The following article was published to record the results of a test performed to determine the day to day eating habits of both male and female college students and how their nutritional preferences and lifestyles affected their choices at mealtime. These results included breakdowns of food categories at breakfast, lunch, and dinner and compared age to particular eating habits. The results also consist of information regarding fat content, skipping meals, frequency of consumption, and percentages by weight and gender. In addition, the article factors in the popularity of snack foods as meal substitutions on a regular basis for the majority of college students enrolled full time with access to an abundance of food both on and off campus.

Www.nutrition.gov
www.mypyramid.gov
www.eatthis.menshealth.com
www.webmd.com/diet
www.hsp.harvard.edu/nutritionsource
www.yaleruddcenter.org

Study Design:
For our research plan, we will survey student food choice at Shriver's Haines Dining Court at 12:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., and 12:00 a.m. We will observe and record what students purchase over a half hour interval at all these times and compare the results to see if the food choices differ. Additionally, we will get approximate calorie counts for each food type and average out the calorie count per student for each meal, as broken up by gender.

Materials and Methods:
Materials. We really only need a food table containing caloric information on the different foods available at Shriver and paper and pencil to record the items purchased by the students. Alternatively, we could talk to the manager of Shriver to give us the different meals purchased without names to find the foods purchased.

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