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First-generation and the factors that influence food behavior and perceptions.

Rouse, Elijah
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1617108166924414

Abstract Details

2021, MS, University of Cincinnati, Allied Health Sciences: Nutrition.
College is a transitional time in which students gain independence and begin to establish life-long eating behaviors. While students’ diets have been shown to be at increased risk for suboptimal diet quality, first-generation college students are at increased risk for food insecurity and poor dietary intake. At the University of Cincinnati, a nutrition education program was conducted with this population in 2018 but was shown to be ineffective in changing eating behavior and improving diet quality. The purpose of this thesis was to examined factors that influence food perceptions and eating behavior among first-generation college students to inform future nutrition education programming for this population. This qualitative study was conducted with first-generation college students in the Gen-1 program at the University of Cincinnati. For the present study, these individuals were invited to attend virtual focus groups. Various factors related to student’s food selections and perceptions were explored using thematic analysis of verbatim transcripts from 3 focus groups. A total of 12 participants completed the study. Three primary themes were identified related to personal factors, social environment factors, and physical environment factors. Personal factors included food preferences, health issues, busy schedules, and finances; social environment factors included family influence, peer influence, and prior and current food exposure; and physical environment included food access and availability, and resources related to food procurement and preparation. Students provided recommendations for future Gen-1 nutrition education programs including offering a great number of classes that focused on food budgeting, portion control, diet and health, label reading, and practice with food preparation among other topics. Future iterations of nutrition education programs with Gen-1 students should consider suggested recommendations to better conform to the unique food perceptions and behaviors of this population.
Sarah Couch, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Francoise Knox Kazimierczuk, Ph.D. R.D. (Committee Member)
64 p.
Nutrition
First-generation college student; Factors; Food behavior; Food perception

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Rouse, E. (2021). First-generation and the factors that influence food behavior and perceptions. [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1617108166924414

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Rouse, Elijah. First-generation and the factors that influence food behavior and perceptions. 2021. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1617108166924414.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Rouse, Elijah. "First-generation and the factors that influence food behavior and perceptions." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1617108166924414

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1617108166924414
95
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This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.