Characteristics of Healthy Foods as Perceived by College Students Utilizing University Foodservice

This study was designed to determine the characteristics of healthy foods as perceived by college students at a university in the southwestern United States. It was also undertaken in order to provide a more uniform, foundational framework regarding the definitions of terms used by researchers studying healthy foods and behavioral choices regarding healthy food. The results of this study validated the premise that healthy foods could be identified by classifying several features common to them, and that healthy food could then be defined using these characteristics: “low calorie foods” (α = 0.869), “low fat foods & healthy drinks” (α = 0.764), and “low cholesterol foods “ (α = 0.734). This study helped to classify the characteristics of healthy foods as perceived by college students, and this information could be used by college foodservice managers to develop healthier menu items, and also by researchers studying this population and/ or related marketplaces.