The Feasibility of a Text-Delivered Intervention to Improve Dietary Habits, Stress Management Behaviors and Create Awareness of Food Assistance Resources Among College Students

Abstract

College students, often referred to as emerging adults, experience transitions in healthrelated behaviors as they adapt to life in college [1]. This transitional period is characterized by changes in dietary habits, stress and mealtime behaviors [2-5]. Additionally, emerging adults often lack resources and skills required for food preparation. These factors contribute to their increased risk for food insecurity [6,7]. Dietary habits that are consistent with the national dietary guidelines have been found to promote health, but college students do not meet these guidelines [8-10]. Studies have reported that college students have poor dietary habits and they do not meet their recommended daily intake of fruit and vegetable [9,11,12]. One study that examined the relationship between food insecurity and fruit and vegetable intake among college students found that food insecure students ate significantly lower daily servings of fruit and vegetable as compared to students with high food security controlling for confounding factors such as car access, race/ethnicity and gender [13]. College students also skip meals, consume high amounts of snacks and high calorie food items such as sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) [14,15]. Furthermore, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHNES) data indicate that young adults age category in which most college students fall under, have the highest mean percentage of daily calories from SSB [16].