Intervention to influence healthy eating habits among Dominican University students: an examination of eating habits
Start Date
April 2020
End Date
April 2020
Major Field of Study
Global Public Health
Student Type
Undergraduate
Faculty Mentor(s)
Michaela George, MPH, PhD
Presentation Format
Oral Presentation
Abstract/Description
Food insecurity among college students has become an issue among many universities nationwide. Campus food pantries emerged to combat this problem by providing students with a diverse selection of fresh foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein. However, there is uncertainty about whether students utilize all the food pantry items to create healthy meals at home. Most universities are in the pilot process of their food pantries and not many studies have been done to examine the use of healthy ingredients among students. The purpose of this study is to examine if an intervention using food pantry items would improve the overall health of college students and their eating habits. This study assesses the confidence and ability of students at Dominican University of California in San Rafael to utilize food pantry items and create healthy meals. Participants were given a pre- and post-intervention survey to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention in improving awareness and knowledge of healthier eating habits and options, separated by five weeks. Participants were eligible if they visited the food pantry at least once between November 2019 and March 2020 and filled out both surveys.The intervention was recipe posters placed at the pantry for students to view. Recipes were based on ingredients given at the pantry and chosen based on the number of food pantry items included, difficulty, total preparation and cooking time. Recipes came from national organizations, such as Choose My Plate, Harvest of the Month, and CalFresh Champions for Change.
Intervention to influence healthy eating habits among Dominican University students: an examination of eating habits
Food insecurity among college students has become an issue among many universities nationwide. Campus food pantries emerged to combat this problem by providing students with a diverse selection of fresh foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein. However, there is uncertainty about whether students utilize all the food pantry items to create healthy meals at home. Most universities are in the pilot process of their food pantries and not many studies have been done to examine the use of healthy ingredients among students. The purpose of this study is to examine if an intervention using food pantry items would improve the overall health of college students and their eating habits. This study assesses the confidence and ability of students at Dominican University of California in San Rafael to utilize food pantry items and create healthy meals. Participants were given a pre- and post-intervention survey to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention in improving awareness and knowledge of healthier eating habits and options, separated by five weeks. Participants were eligible if they visited the food pantry at least once between November 2019 and March 2020 and filled out both surveys.The intervention was recipe posters placed at the pantry for students to view. Recipes were based on ingredients given at the pantry and chosen based on the number of food pantry items included, difficulty, total preparation and cooking time. Recipes came from national organizations, such as Choose My Plate, Harvest of the Month, and CalFresh Champions for Change.
Comments
This presentation was accepted for the Scholarly and Creative Works Conference at Dominican University of California. The Conference was canceled due to the Covid-19 Pandemic