Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Grand Forks, North Dakota » Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center » Healthy Body Weight Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #248474
Title: Insights into university freshman weight issues and how they make decisions about eating

Author
item HALEY, ERIC - University Of Tennessee
item CHILDERS, COURTNEY - University Of Tennessee
item Jahns, Lisa

Submitted to: Journal of Consumer Affairs
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/6/2010
Publication Date: 6/3/2011
Citation: Haley, E., Childers, C.C., Jahns, L.A. 2011. Insights into university freshman weight issues and how they make decisions about eating. Journal of Consumer Affairs. Summer 2011:306-328.

Interpretive Summary: From a life-course perspective, the time period when traditionally aged students transition from high school to college represents a turning point during which health behavior trajectories may be influenced. The myriad stressors college freshmen face from homework, interpersonal relationships, altered sleep patterns and loneliness compound any potential for adopting or maintaining poor eating and exercise behaviors. The present study explores possible causes behind freshmen weight change. The first step in understanding freshmen weight change is to understand better the day-to-day lives of freshmen and how freshmen make food decisions within the context of their daily lives. In exploring this question, the study examines internal and external factors that guide students’ eating decisions as they are understood and relayed by students. The study also attempts to place these decisions in the context of students’ daily activities, thoughts and feelings. Data were gathered in three ways. First, participants kept an audio diary of their thoughts and feelings about food choices for a two week period during the second semester of their first year on campus. Specifically, participants were asked to verbally record their thoughts anytime they thought about or were making food decisions. To facilitate this, each participant was given a small tape recorder to carry. The goal of this technique was to capture top-of-mind thoughts and feelings as close to the point of decision making as possible. Second, for the same two week period, participants were asked to keep a daily written journal of how food fit into their day-to-day activities. This gave participants a chance to reflect on their food choices beyond the top-of-mind data gathered through the audio diaries. Finally, a purposeful sample of 36 study participants took part in one of five focus groups following initial data analysis to help researchers confirm identified themes. The study provides a picture of freshmen life grounded in day-to-day experiences of freshmen as relayed by freshmen. As such, the study can provide grounding for future academic work as well as intervention/education programs designed to deal with freshmen weight issues.

Technical Abstract: The transition from high school to college represents a turning point during which health behavior trajectories may be influenced. This study addresses the internal and external factors that guide students’ eating decisions as they are understood and relayed by students through ethnographic, qualitative methods. A sample of 102 second semester college freshmen participated in a two week data collection period. Results show that many students are caught in a negative cycle of food decisions that impact both their physical and emotional health.