Abstract
Objective
To investigate the existence and trajectory of diet disparities among college students
from different socioeconomic statuses (SESs).
Methods
A random sample of freshman and sophomore students was invited to participate in an
online survey on eating behaviors. Ordinary least squares regressions were fit to
148 complete responses to examine the association between family income ≤200% of the
federal poverty level and overall, healthy, and unhealthy food consumption.
Results
Low-SES students reported eating significantly more unhealthy food during their freshman
year than their non–low-SES peers. This difference is not statistically significant
for second-year students and robust to on-campus spending power.
Conclusions and Implications
Disparities in diets for students from different socioeconomic backgrounds that were
observed in the freshman year of college were absent in the sophomore year. Awareness
of these disparities and trend is important to broadly promote healthy eating.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 22, 2019
Accepted:
June 24,
2019
Footnotes
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: The authors have not stated any conflicts of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
