Factors Related to the Number of Fast Food Meals Obtained by College Meal Plan Students

Objectives: This study tested whether days on campus, financial access through a meal plan, and health consciousness were associated with number of meals that college students obtained from fast food restaurants.

Participants And Methods: In April 2013, all students currently enrolled in a meal plan were invited to participate in an online survey (N = 1,246). Students were asked to report the total number of meals eaten in the past week and where they obtained them.

Results: Negative binomial regression was used, and it was found that the number of meals obtained from fast food restaurants was positively associated with financial access and negatively associated with health consciousness. An association between days on campus and the number of meals obtained from fast food restaurants was not found.

Conclusions: Increasing levels of health consciousness and reducing access to fast food restaurants through flex plans may reduce college students' consumption of fast food.