Title:

College Student Frequency of Restaurant, Fast-Food Consumption and Impact on Dietary Quality Score

Lauren Kieffer and Jesse Stabile Morrell University of New Hampshire Objective: To assess the differences in dietary quality (DQ) of college students according to their consumption of restaurant and fast-food chain (RFF) meals at a public, northeastern university. Methods: Data were collected between 2005-20 from the College Health and Nutrition Assessment survey, an ongoing, cross-sectional study conducted at a midsized, northeastern university. Participants (n=8,907; 30% men/70% women) completed an online questionnaire and self-reported their weekly frequency of eating meals at a RFF (None, 1-2, or ≥ 3). Participants also completed 3-day food records; average daily nutrient intake was computed via online software (DietWellness+). After stratifying by gender, DQ was scored by creating quintiles of the average intakes of calcium (mg), potassium (mg), fiber (g), and saturated fat (g); scores (1-5) for each nutrient were then summed to create a single DQ score (4-20). DQ scores ≥ 13 were considered healthy. Differences in diet scores between RFF groups were examined via ANCOVA; daily kilocalories, BMI, age, race, gender, and year served as covariates. Results: Almost half of students (45.2%) report not consuming meals at a RFF; 48.5% report consuming 1-2 meals/week, 6.3% report ≥ 3/week. Mean diet scores were lower for those who reported 1-2 and ≥3 meals/week compared to those who did not consume any meals at a RFF (11.7±.05, 10.9±.13 vs. 12.5±.05, both p<.01). Conclusions: Overall, college students with greater frequency of RFF meals had lower quality diets. Further, diet quality decreased with increasing frequency of meals at RFF chains. Future research from diverse college campuses will aid in the understanding of how eating at RFFs impacts dietary quality in the college student population. This knowledge can help tailor and promote nutrition education on college campuses. Funding Source: New Hampshire Agriculture Experiment Stations and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Project.

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