Valuable Food: The Effects of Pricing, Overall Access to Food, and Views of Nutrition on USU Students’ Dietary Patterns

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the dietary patterns of undergraduate students at Utah State University who are not on a meal plan. Specifically, the research compares the foods students most frequently eat with the foods students value as nutritious. To obtain this data, participants will free list the most common foods in their diet, free list foods they value as nutritious, and complete a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). We will engage in participant observation to better understand students’ food-processing environment, as well as evaluate discrepancies between the two lists of foods and look for determining factors (socioeconomic, time-allocation, access). We will look for signs of over-and-undernutrition in carbohydrates, sodium, and B-complex and C vitamins as reported in the FFQ. The results of this qualitative and quantitative research will give an indication of the dietary health of the majority of USU students