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Reported dietary and exercise behaviors, beliefs and knowledge among university undergraduates

Abstract:

A ten-percent random sample of students (n=2,610) attending a large midwestern university was mailed a questionnaire designed to assess dietary and exercise-related behaviors, knowledge, and beliefs. A total of 1,226 students completed and returned the survey. The majority of respondents exhibited an under-standing of some basic nutrition concepts, but held several misconceptions especially related to carbohydrate nutrition. Thirty-six percent reported no use of discretionary salt, and a surprisingly high 65% reported eating high fat foods less than once per day. However, 69% of the students reported failure to eat any fruit at least once per day, and 43% indicated they ate vegetables less than once per day. Nutrition-related beliefs and behaviors were only weakly correlated. Only 24% reported participation in strenuous aerobic exercise lasting at least 30 minutes per session. The results suggest that a significant percentage of the college students included in this survey exhibited unfavorable dietary and exercise habits. © 1986 Pergamon Journals Ltd.