Health and Nutrition Beliefs, Attitudes, and Practices of Undergraduate College Students

The purpose of this article was to elicit attitudes and beliefs of undergraduate college students regarding their health and nutritional practices, and perceived nutrition information needs. A survey was administered to 300 randomly selected students via Web technology. A total of 94 students responded to the survey for a return rate of 31 percent. A series of focus group interviews, involving 36 students was used to confirm and enrich the relationships derived from the quantitative data. This article indicates that college students' attitudes towards health and nutrition can be affected by variables such as gender and peer influence. Students provided suggestions for educational and environmental changes.