College Student Eating Habits Leave Much to Be Desired
When you send your older children off to college, you hope they’ll make good grades and have healthy eating habits. Unfortunately, this may not be the case – at least as far as the eating habits go. According to a new study carried out at the University of Leicester, college student college student food choices may leave much to be desired from health perspective – and it could set them up for future health problems later.
College Student Eating Habits: What the Study Showed
After doing an extensive survey of college student eating habits, researchers found that what’s for dinner on most college campuses is fast food. This is particularly true among male college students who usually chose a quick meal at a fast food restaurant over preparing something in their apartment or dorm room. Although female college students were also found to be frequent fast food consumers, their fast food visits were less frequent than the guys because of concerns about weight.
College Students and Fast Food: What’s the Attraction?
Why are college students so partial to fast food? The researchers believe fast food appeals to teens for a variety of reasons. Lack of time and the unwillingness to prepare their own food along with a limited budget are the main reasons college age kids head to McDonald’s for their nightly meal. The other is peer pressure. When their friends are headed out to a fast food joint, they feel compelled to follow suit and often make the wrong food choices once they get there. It’s not surprising that most college students gain weight once they enter the college scene. Their favorite fast foods? Pizza, past, and French fries top the list of college student favorites.
College Students Eating Fast Food: Why Is It a Problem?
Eating fast foods may have little impact on a teen or young adult’s health in the short