Examining Regional Variations in Nutrition and Physical Activity among Undergraduate College Students in the United States, 2008-2009

This study analyzes the relationship between nutritional practices among undergraduate college students by geographic region in the United States in the spring semester 2008 and fall semester 2009 (N=107,925). Health behavior data were obtained from the National College Health Assessment II, which was conducted by the American College Health Association. Data included information on self described weight, calculated body mass index, and the number of servings of fruits and vegetables consumed per day. These aggregated data included students attending colleges and universities in the United States, and were broken down by age, gender, year in school, enrollment status, living situation, employment status, and race-ethnicity status. Data were also broken down by four regions in the United States (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West) based on the location of the colleges or universities. Data were analyzed using spatial visualization, descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and analysis of variance. The analysis reveals that statistically significant differences in fruit and vegetable consumption occur across geographic regions. The Northeast had the highest reported consumption of fruits and vegetables when compared to the other geographic regions. Similar results emerge when examining differences in gender, year in school, and enrollment status. Findings indicate that these variables should be considered when examining student health status. These findings can be used for programming and policy development in the university setting.