A systematic review of studies by Shepherd et al. (2005, p. 239) observed how the major barriers to healthy eating included access to healthy foods, relative costs and personal preference, including liking fast foods. This understand also known a lack of provision of healthy school foods like a major barrier, reflecting the truth that this review focused on exploring healthy eating in secondary school children, aged 11 to 16 years. It's as a result numerous barriers are most crucial inside university student population, as this group eat a greater level of responsibility for their individual foods choices.
For example, evidence inside Coventry University understand suggests that even though undergraduate males were influenced by media images and had been motivated to glimpse good, this did not necessarily translate to improved healthy foods choices. Instead, this looks to be associated with an increased risk of disordered eating inside this group, alongside increased use of supplements just like protein powders, creatine and amino acids. This process also led to increased intake of protein-rich meals but quite modest fruit and vegetable intake. It would be anticipated that causes for example availability and price may well even now be critical factors in this group.
The systematic review by Shepherd (2005, p. 239) advised that assist from loved ones and friends, high levels of availability of healthy foods, an interest and wish to preserve appearance, and will-power had been all major facilitators of consuming healthily. Again, it's possible that numerous factors could be considered important in the university student population, who are older and have greater responsibility for their eating habits.
Methodology
The short review with the literature presented thus far within the essay demonstrates that there's still only a limited understanding in the underlying factors influencing consuming habits in undergraduate students. Yet that is the data that's required if potent behavioural improve interventions are to be created and disseminated.
Research Aims
The aim of this little learn was to investigate the decision-making processes which underlie the decisions of undergraduate students with regards to consuming behaviours, for instance influences more than these decisions. This could then be applied alongside other published material to design a social promoting strategy on both a local and national level to enhance healthy consuming within this group.
Study Sample
A total of six undergraduate students from Manchester University had been recruited to participate during the research. Convenience sampling was utilized to recruit participants on the find out sample. Posters had been displayed during the firm school at the university, requesting participants to attend look for focus groups. Eight participants contacted the researcher, but 2 subsequently withdrew, leaving a sample of four female and 2 male students. No extra inclusion or exclusion criteria had been utilized to participants, other than that they were modern day undergraduate students at the university. This method of sampling may possibly not offer a definitely representative sample, consequently it can be difficult to generalize the final results towards the wider population of interest (Babbie, 2010, p. 192). However, this was probably the most proper recruitment approach given the limited time and budget constraints for the project. The diversity from the study sample would also suggest that there was little bias introduced.
Focus Group Methods
Focus groups have been particular for facts collection from discover participants. Focus groups can be specifically useful for gaining an understanding of topics using a group behaviour element, but have also been shown to be extremely intriguing during the field of marketing for understanding the impact of promoting stimuli. They had been considered to become of specific use in this instance as they permit integrated exploration of associations in between lifestyle reasons and reactions to promoting materials (Stewart et al., 2007, pp. 2-9).
The focus group was arranged to your two-hour session on 1 morning, and was moderated by the author. The entire session was video recorded so as to enable for extra analysis of responses and behavioural cues at a later date. All participants had been given assurance that their responses would remain anonymous and confidential and permission was sought to record the session prior to it began. Participants have been also given information at the commencing of the session as on the function of the details collection, and were given opportunity to ask any questions, just before getting asked to supply consent for participation (Litosseliti, 2003, pp. 70-71).
The focus group started out with some short introductory queries to break the ice between participants (Litosseliti, 2003, p. 73), before moving on to focus over a topic of interest: eating behaviours and potential influences. The questions included within the moderator guide, which was prepared to facilitate the focus group, are included in Box 1.
Box 1: Focus group questions
Tell me a little about what you would take in in a frequent day.
Do you find that you just eat regular meals?
What forms of foods do you most like to eat?
Would you say that you consume quite a few snacks? What kind of snacks do you eat?
Is there a thing you can believe of that affects this – for example, do you consume differently on various days with the week?
How would you describe your cooking abilities – do you discover it easy to plan meals and cook and prepare food?
How does the way you consume now compare to how you applied to take ahead of coming to university?
Do you discover that you just consume differently when you go house to your weekend or for holidays?
Would you say which you have any concerns on the way exactly where you eat?
How do you believe how the way where you take in affects your health?
Are you at all concerned about regardless of whether the way you eat affects how you look?
What kind of issues affect regardless of whether you pick healthy meals more than non-healthy foods?
Do you discover it tough to find/purchase healthy food?
Would price have any impact on regardless of whether the meals you buy is healthy?
Study Results
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Overall, the results on the focus group recommended how the students inside sample had experienced a essential alter in eating habits because leaving household to attend university. Although the daily consuming patterns of participants differed significantly, all felt that they ate a much less healthy diet mainly because leaving home. The main difference noted was that normal meals had been eaten less often, with numerous participants reporting that they skipped breakfast regularly, and that other meals had been eaten according to convenience rather than at a regular time every day.
Most participants agreed that their eating patterns did differ over a daily basis. In particular, weekends were noted to follow more normal eating patterns, but often involve greater levels of alcohol and unhealthy foods such as takeaways. Participants also generally agreed that they returned to a healthier way of consuming once returning home for ones weekend or for holidays.
The actual components of diet varied widely across participants. Whilst some participants reported that they regularly ate 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day, others indicated that they ate only low levels. Four participants agreed that they ate convenience foods and takeaways on the normal basis, and it was acknowledged that these have been usually calorie-dense, high fat foods.
All participants also agreed that they ate snacks on a regular basis, in particular where it was inconvenient to consume meals at regular intervals, and wherever breakfast was skipped. 1 participant reported that they felt that their snacking was healthy, however, as they typically snacked on fruit, nuts or seeds rather than chocolate bars or crisps. Given the little sample size and alternative procedures, it was difficult to see regardless of whether differences could be attributed to characteristics with the participants, including gender (Babbie, 2010, p. 192).
There were many factors which influenced meals choices which emerged in the focus group. The major point appeared to become convenience. The patterns of meals which had been eaten had been largely driven by getting the time to prepare and food, or acquiring access to healthy meals that will be purchased and eaten in the university campus. Participants also agreed that cost played a major factor.
Only two participants agreed that their low level of cooking capability had any role in how healthy their diet was. The other participants claimed that although they could cook, convenience, price and motivation had been major barriers to doing so.
Food preferences have been also a major factor in determining food choices, with all except a single participant agreeing that they enjoyed fast foods and several reporting that they preferred unhealthy foods to healthy ones. In spite of this, three participants reported that they did try to limit how always they ate fast foods, as it was acknowledged that it was damaging for their health to consume them regularly.
In spite of this, the foods options of participants did not look to become driven overall by concern more than their health. Participants advised that though they have been aware of how their diet could impact on their health, other causes were much more critical influences. Similarly, only one participant agreed that maintaining the way that they looked played any role in influencing their dietary choices.
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