Considering the core of this project being about health and how students are ultimately not actively seeking to improve their own, I looked for academic research that could direct my consumer research.
Brown et al (2005) found that “…Students in fraternities and sororities generally had the best nutrient and food group intakes…” (445) which suggests that students eat better and actively seek a healthier diet when eating in groups or societies. This was also advocated through further findings that stated “breakfast cereals, pasta, and sandwiches may be eaten more frequently by students without a meal plan because they are quick and easy to prepare.” (446). Although this only suggests at the reasoning, they raise an important point. Those who prepare their own meals often fall victim to eating ‘quick and easy’ food (such as shop-bought sauces or ‘microwave dinners’), which more often than not are high in salt and sugar resulting in a poor diet and physical state. Again, Brown et al found themes that supported the notion of group eating: “Significantly more students with than without the meal plan met FGP recommendations for fruit…and meat” (446). Organization and planned eating significantly improves diet and nutrition in student health.
Georgiou et al (1997) carried out a study into the ability of students and non-students to apply the data of nutritional labeling into a healthier diet. They found that “The rate of overweight…among nonstudent women was twice that of female students and four times that of female graduates…Non-students skipped the greatest amount of meals. Students and graduates were most confident of their abilities to use nutrition on labels.” (756). This demonstrated that education clearly play at least some part in eating habits, perhaps students do not require the information on labelling as clearly as first thought because they are already aware of the causes of obesity and what constitutes an unhealthy diet. Conversely, Smith et al (2000) established that “the only consistently observed difference between label users and non-users (male and female) was that users believed in the importance of nutrition information on food labels while non-users did not” (175) and this illustrates that students need to actively take part in learning about food nutrition for them to seek a healthier diet. Kolodinsky et al (2007) found similar results as which established that knowledge of dietary guidelines encouraged the action to eat healthier.
Portion size is a vital aspect of maintaining a healthy diet because it is easy to over measure sizes of ingredients such as pastas or meats. Brown et al (2000) found that education about portion size improves awareness and can therefore lead to better dietary appreciation and health consciousness. Again emphasizing the importance of an education in diet amongst students.
As University is for most the first time they are living away from home, peer influence can play a large part in defining what students eat. Pan et al (1997) found that Asian students studying abroad in the U.S. ate more American food than their traditional cuisine. Culture (both in terms of heritage and your current circumstances) plays a large part in defining how you treat and respond to food. Student will change their habits to ‘fit in’ or assume a figure in the culture they have been adopted into.
According to results found by Ness et al (2002), students are considered unique by marketers as they represent unique circumstances and securing brand loyalty whilst at University could mean a life long dedication to their goods. This is evident in student Union shops through the huge mark down in prices of newspapers. The newspapers see students as a market of the future and by targeting them with a very low cost service at University they can potentially gain a long-term buyer. They also found that students are very brand aware and tend to stick to brands that they are familiar with. This supports the behaviour of marketers as tapping into this market could be difficult but potentially lucrative.
