Examining the intention to eat a healthy diet based on current dietary behaviors in rural college students; implications for university setting interventions

Introduction: Young adults nutrition behaviors are not isolated from the norms and barriers seen in the US in general.  College students have newfound autonomy about food choices with increased barriers to healthy choices, especially in rural areas where socio-environmental factors influence behaviors.  The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of students’ current dietary behaviors on their intention to eat a healthy diet in the next year.

Methods: Data was analyzed from 563 undergraduate students (approximately 35% of the student body population) who took part in a comprehensive campus health needs assessment at a small rural New England college.  A multiple regression analysis was conducted to evaluate how well current dietary behaviors predicted intention to eat a healthy diet in the next year. Among the predictors were frequency of meals, dieting to lose weight, consumption of breakfast, food groups, energy drinks, sugar-sweetened beverages, and overall health.

Results: The linear combination of current dietary behaviors was significantly related to intention to eat a healthy diet in the next year F(14, 548) = 19.02, p < .001. Approximately 33% of the variance (R = .57) of intention to eat a healthy diet in the next year can be accounted for by students’ current dietary behaviors. Nine of the 14 predictors were statistically significant (p< .05).

Discussion: Effective health promotion should consider how the environment promotes or inhibits wellness for students.  Colleges should design interventions to address current dietary behaviors through increasing knowledge and reducing environmental barriers to healthy eating.