Food and Nutritional Sciences

The purpose of this study was to investigate the meal preparation habits of college students as it relates to the quality of their diets. In addition, this study looked at cooking skills and barriers to meal preparation of college students living off campus. A 20 question survey was completed by 13 female and 17 male college students who live off campus. The survey included three sections; demographics, meal habits/cooking skills, and a food frequency questionnaire. This study revealed that, although most participants claim to have adequate cooking skills, many are eating meals prepared away from home three or more times per week. Participants were also found to not be consuming the recommended servings of fruits, vegetables, and low fat diary. In addition, these subjects are not making healthy choices when it comes to variety of these foods and choosing the most nutritious sources. The top three factors that had the largest impact on whether or not subjects were home preparing their meals were found to be limited time, money, and resources. 111 In conclusion, efforts should be made in nutrition education to target high school students and first year college students in order to teach them to prepare quick, simple, and inexpensive meals to help them meet their recommended dietary needs and improve their eating habits. I