1. Fruit and Vegetable Intake Amongst College Students:
A Needs Assessment
Erinn Reilly, Hannah Larkin and Jessica Ghiozzi
Table of Contents

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Introduction Page 2
Methods Page 4
Table 1: Research Hypotheses Page 4
Table 2: Recoded Questions Page 7
Table 3: Socio Demographics Page 8
Analysis and Results
Research Question 1: Sleep Patterns Page 9
Research Question 2: Cigarette Smoking Page 10
Research Question 3: Living Arrangements Page 11
Research Question 4: Race Page 12
Research Question 5: Physical Activity Levels Page 13
Research Question 6: Marijuana Use Page 14
Conclusion Page 15
Resources/ Work Cited Page 18
Introduction

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According to the World Health Organization, an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise are
the leading global risks to health. These unhealthy habits can develop in early adolescent growth
and follow one through adulthood. In many cases, these unhealthy habits only accelerate in
college students. An unhealthy lifestyle can be “influenced by many factors and complex
interactions. Income, food prices (which will affect the availability and affordability of healthy
foods), individual preferences and beliefs, cultural traditions, as well as geographical,
environmental, social and economic factors all interact in a complex manner to shape individual
dietary patterns” (WHO, 2015). According to MyPlate, half a person’s plate should consist of
fruits and vegetables. Most college students who are aged 17-25, should be taking in 2 ½ -3 cups
of vegetables per day (MyPlate, 2015). These figures are about the same for fruit intake as well.
It is said that college students as a whole are not reaching the daily recommended intake values.
In a study done by Oregon State University researchers, they found that students are skipping
meals more which could result in the loss of vegetable intake. The study also found that “Both
males and females were consuming more than 30 percent of their calories from fat, which
exceeds the American Dietetic Association's recommendation of no more than 30 percent a
week” (Oregon State University, 2011). One goal of Healthy Campus 2020 is to “Increase the
proportion of students who report receiving information on nutrition from their institution”. They
found that 6.0 percent of students ate five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day in
spring 2010 and their goal is to increase that figure to 6.6 percent by 2020 (ACHA-NCHA II).
The goals also include increasing students knowledge on nutrition from their institution. They
found that 52.4 percent of students reported in spring 2010 that they had received information on
nutrition from their institution and hope to increase that percentage to 57.6 percent. In order to
reach the Healthy People 2020 target goal there needs to be a 14.3% decrease in adult obesity. It

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is known that people who consume the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables have a
lower body mass index in general than those people who are not eating the recommended two
and a half to three cups of vegetables and two cups of fruit per day (choosemyplate.gov). Factors
that influence one's fruit and vegetable intake vary across a wide spectrum. Influences include
race, sleep patterns, drug and alcohol use, physical activity and geographical location. It has been
found that Non-Hispanic black adults consume significantly less DF compared with other
race/ethnic groups (Storey, 2014). Fruit and vegetable intake can attribute to other poor lifestyle
choices. Mortality associated with fruit and vegetable intake is prevalent in society, as the World
Health Organization states, “insufficient intake of fruit and vegetables is estimated to cause
around 14% of gastrointestinal cancer deaths, about 11% of ischaemic heart disease deaths and
about 9% of stroke deaths worldwide” (WHO, 2015). These figures stress the important place
fruits and vegetables hold in the human diet, a fact that is often disregarded in today’s society. In
our research we are looking at associations between fruit and vegetable intake and other health
behaviors with the overarching goal of developing an intervention which can effectively increase
the amount of fruits and vegetables college students consume in accordance with the government
recommendation of five servings of fruit and vegetables per day.
Methods
All of the data used has been obtained from the University of Rhode Island’s Health
Services 2013-2014 behavior survey. This anonymous survey was completed by 981 University

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of Rhode Island students from varying ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Eighty Six
questions are asked in this online survey, including gender, sex, age, race, ethnicity, and health
behavior habits. The survey asks multiple questions regarding health behavior topics such as;
safe sex, sleep patterns, support systems, living situations, drug and alcohol use, tobacco use, TV
and video game use, and fruit and vegetable consumption. The survey was approved by the
Institutional Review Board before conduction. Our research focused on the fruit and vegetable
consumption amongst the URI student population. Our questions were designed to find
associations between fruit and vegetable consumption and other behavioral risk factors.
Table 1: Research Hypotheses
Research Questions Hypothesis
Are race/ethnicity associated with fruit/
vegetable intake?
Race could be associated with socioeconomic
status which would influence access and
education on fruit and vegetable intake.
Is where one resides associated with their
fruit/vegetable intake (frat, off campus,
dorm)?
Where someone resides will affect fruit and
vegetable intake because this could limit or
increase one's acceptability to fruit and
vegetables
Is there a significant relationship between
cigarette smoking and fruit and vegetable
intake? (curve appetite, etc.)
Cigarette smoking has been associated to
curving an appetite so if one smokes
cigarettes, it may result in eating less.
Are sleep patterns associated with fruit and
vegetable consumption?
If one gets a good night of sleep they are more
likely to eat fruits and vegetables (limits late-
night snacking)
Is there a significant relationship between
marijuana use and fruit and vegetable
consumption?
Regular marijuana smokers may be less likely
to consume fruits and vegetables because of
lack of motivation to prepare and access fruits
and vegetables.
Does physical activity level have a significant
influence on fruit and vegetable intake?
Regular exercise shows good lifestyle habits
which could be associated to better eating
habits.

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Measures were condensed to show significance between different disparities and fruit and
vegetable intake. Questions regarding fruit and vegetable consumption were asked in a variety of
ways on the University of Rhode Island Health Service’s survey. In order to combine the results
of this survey in a way that explained the data, variables were created. Question 5 stated “How
would you describe yourself?”. The answer choices provided were “white-not hispanic, black -
not hispanic, hispanic or latino, asian or pacific islander, american indian or alaskan native, and
other”. The answer choices were condensed to choices of “non-white” and “white”. Thus,
combining the choices of black-not hispanic, hispanic or latino, asian or pacific islander, and
american indian or alaskan native as the non-white group. Question 6 asked in the survey,
“Where will you be living this semester?”. The choices provided were “college dormitory or
residence hall, fraternity or sorority house, other university/college housing, off-campus house or
apartment, and parent/guardian’s home”. The variables created were “on-campus” and “off-
campus housing”. On-campus housing consisted of college dormitory or residence hall, fraternity
or sorority house, and other university/college housing. Off-campus housing consisted of off-
campus house or apartment and parent/guardian’s home. Question 22 asked “During the past 30
days, on the days you smoked how many cigarettes did you smoke per day?”. The answers
provided were “I did not smoke cigarettes during the past 30 days, less than 1 cigarette per day, 1
cigarette per day, 2 to 5 cigarettes per day, 6 to 10 cigarettes per day, 11 to 20 cigarettes per day,
and more than 20 cigarettes per day”. The variables were created as “non-smokers” and
“smokers”. The non-smoking group consisted of those who chose the answers I did not smoke
cigarettes during the past 30 days and less than 1 cigarette per day. The smoking group was those
who chose any of the other answers. Question 33 asked “During the past 30 days, how many

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times did you use marijuana?”. The answer choices provided were “zero times, 1 or 2 times, 3 to
9 times, 10 to 19 times, 20 to 39 times, and 40 times or more”. The answers were condensed to
“non-marijuana users” and “marijuana users”. The non-marijuana group was those who
answered the survey with 0 times. Marijuana users chose any of the other answers. Question 66
asked “On how many of the past 7 days did you do exercise or participate in sport activities for
at least 20 minutes?”. The answer choices provided were “0 days, 1 day, 2 days, 3 days, 4 days, 5
days, 6 days, and 7 days”. The variables created were the participants that did not meet the
recommendation and the participants who did meet the recommendation of physical activity. The
participants who did not meet the recommendation consisted of those who chose the answers “0
days, 1 day, 2 days, and 3 days”. The participants who did meet the recommendation consisted of
those who chose the answers “4 days, 5 days, 6 days, and 7 days”. Question 70 asked “On an
average night, how many hours of sleep do you get?”. The choices provided were “less than 5, 5,
6, 7, and 8 or more hours”. The groups created were less than 8 and 8 or more. The participants
who chose less than 5, 5, 6, and 7 hours were in the less than 8 variable. Those who answered 8
or more were in the 8 or more variable.
Table 2: Recoded Questions
Question Response Options Recoded Variables
5. How would you
describe yourself?
● White - non Hispanic
● Black - non Hispanic
● Hispanic or Latino
● Asian or Pacific Islander
● American Indian or Alaskan Native
● White
● Non- White
6. Where will you be ● College dormitory ● Off-Campus

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living this semester? ● Residence hall
● Fraternity or sorority house, other
university/college housing
● Off-campus house or apartment
● Parent/guardian’s home
● On-Campus
22. During the past 30
days, on the days you
smoked how many
cigarettes did you smoke
per day?
● I did not smoke cigarettes during the past 30 days
● Less than 1 cigarette per day
● 1 cigarette
● 2 to 5 cigarettes per day
● 6 to 10 cigarettes per day
● 11 to 20 cigarettes per day
● More than 20 cigarettes per day
● Smoker
● Non-smoker
33. During the past 30
days, how many times did
you use marijuana?
● 1 or 2 times
● 3 to 9 times
● 10 to 19 times
● 20 to 39 times
● 40 times or more
● Marijuana Users
● Non-Marijuana
Users
66. On how many of the
past 7 days did you do
exercise or participate in
sport activities for at least
20 minutes?
● 0 days
● 1 day
● 2 days
● 3 days
● 4 days
● 5 days
● 6 days
● 7 days
● Met weekly
recommended
requirements
● Did not meet
weekly
recommended
requirements
70. On an average night,
how many hours of sleep
do you get?
● Less than 5 hours
● 5 hours
● 6 hours
● 7 hours
● and 8 or more hours.
● Less than 8 hours
● 8 hours or more
Table 3: Socio Demographics
Question Response Number
Gender
missing 6
Male 357
Female 624
Class standing Freshman 423

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missing 13
Sophomore 38
Junior 39
Senior 2
Graduate 74
Incoming Freshman 398
Full Time
missing 3
Yes 973
No 11
Race
missing 14
White 806
Black 23
Hispanic/Latino 59
Asian/ Pacific Islander 45
American Indian 4
Biracial 17
Multiracial 19
Age
missing 3
17 or younger 148
18 or 19 701
20 to 22 70
23 or older 65
Analysis and Results

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Chi square tests were performed in the SPSS system for each analysis. The dependent
variable in every analysis was fruit and vegetable intake.
ResearchQuestion 1: Are sleeppatterns associated with fruit and vegetable intake?
X²(1, N=968) = 0.047, P= 0.829
The association between the independent variable sleep and the dependent variable fruit
and vegetable intake was tested in this analysis. The URI Health Services survey included
students who answered the question as to whether they received under 8 hours of sleep or more
than 8 hours of sleep (n=968). Of the students who received 8 or more hours of sleep, 67.78%
had less than 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day while 32.9% had 5 servings or more of
fruits and vegetables per day. Of the students who received under 8 hours of sleep, 67.1% had

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less than 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day while Of the students 32.2% had 5 or more
servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Results of the analysis determine that sleep and fruit
and vegetable intake have no significant association with fruit and vegetable intake.
ResearchQuestion 2: Is there a significant relationship between cigarette smoking and
fruit and vegetable intake?
X²(1, N=968) = 0.047, P= 0.828
The analysis tested the association between fruit and vegetable intake and cigarette
smoking habits. The data from the URI Health Studies survey provided answers from smokers
and nonsmokers (n=968). Of the students who were non-smokers, 65% had less than 5 servings
of fruits and vegetables and 35% had 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables. Of the students
who were smokers, 67.3% had less than 5 servings of fruits and vegetables and 32.7% had 5 or

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more servings of fruits and vegetables. The association between cigarette smoking and fruit and
vegetables intake was not significant.
ResearchQuestion 3: Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Living Arrangements
X²(1, N=965) = 0.313, P= 0.576
In regards to living arrangements (i.e off campus and on campus), there was not a significant
difference. A total of 975 college students answered the question”Where will you be living this
semester?” and it was broken down into two groups “Off-Campus” and “On-Campus”. Of those
975 students, 69.1% of off-campus students consumes less than 5 servings of fruits and
vegetables per day opposed to 66.9% of on campus students who consume less than 5 servings a
day. Only 30.9% of off-campus students consumed more than 5 servings per day in comparison
to 33.1% of on-campus students who consume more than 5 servings per day. Based on these

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results, there was not a significant correlation between race and fruit and vegetable intake and
living arrangements vs. fruit and vegetable intake.
ResearchQuestion 4: Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Race
X² (1, N=922) = 0.56, P= .813
Based on the results, race did not have an effect on fruit and vegetable intake. Both white and
non-white persons consumed almost the same amount of vegetables servings per day. Of the 922
students who answered the question “How would you describe yourself?” answered with either
“White” or “Non-white”. Of those students, 66.7% of non-white persons consumed less than 5
servings per day in comparison to the 67.7% of white people who also consumed less than 5
servings. These same type of numbers also translate to consuming more than 5 servings per day
with 33.3% of non-whites consuming less than 5 servings and 32.3% of whites consuming less
than 5 servings per day.

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Research Question 5: Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Marijuana Use
X²(1, N=968) =.074, P=.769
According to the data, there is not a significant relationship between marijuana use and fruit and
vegetable consumption amongst URI students. The results of the chi square analysis gave a .77
probability which is greater than the alpha value of .05, which is cause to reject the null
hypothesis. Our hypothesis stated that students were less likely to consume the daily
recommended servings of fruit and vegetables because they were smoking marijuana, which is
rumored to make users less motivated, and more likely to crave junk food. However, there is no
scientific evidence or research to support these claims about marijuana use, which is a limitation
to our assessment. The graph above depicts the data, showing those who consumed less than five
servings of fruit and vegetables a day in blue and those who meet the daily recommendation of
five servings of fruit and vegetables a day in red. The groups are divided again, with students
who’ve tried marijuana on the left and students who haven’t tried marijuana on the right. The

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percentage of people who consume the daily recommendation of fruits and vegetables and have
tried marijuana is 31.7%. The percentage of people who have not tried marijuana and consume
the daily recommendation of fruit and vegetables is only slightly higher at 32.9%.
ResearchQuestion 6: Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Physical Activity Level
X²(1, N=968) =37.85, P<.001
The results of the chi square analysis gave a p value of .000 which is less than our alpha value of
.05, this means that the results are significant, and there is a relationship between amount of
physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption. The percentage of people who do not
meet the recommendation of 75 minutes of vigorous activity at least three times a week and did
not consume the daily recommendation of fruit and vegetables was 74.6%. The percentage of
people who did consume the daily recommendation of fruits and vegetables but did not meet the
physical activity recommendations was significantly lower at 25.4%. These results are not

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surprising, as people who are eating healthily are more likely to be physically active. They are
making good decisions regarding health across the board. It isn’t often you meet people who
exercise regularly but then eat unhealthily as it would contradict the work they’ve done.
Conclusion and Future Directions
In conclusion, we found that there are factors that can influence fruit and vegetable
consumption amongst college students. We tested six variables that may influence how much
fruit and vegetables one consumes. They include sleep, marijuana use, physical activity level,
race, living arrangement, and cigarette use. We did not find a significant relationship between
fruit and vegetable consumption and marijuana use, sleep, race or living arrangements. One of
the only factors that affected fruit and vegetable consumption was amount of physical activity,
which we had predicted. Of the survey respondents 82.8% identified themselves as caucasian,
2.4% identified themselves as black, 6.1% hispanic or latino, and 8.7% associated with a
different ethnicity. The respondents could choose their age through a range starting with 17 and
younger and ending with 23 or older, 71.5% of the respondents were 18 or 19 years old. The data
may not accurately represent the population of University of Rhode Island students because the
majority of respondents were between 18 and 19 years old. These students are more likely to live
on campus and eat strictly from the dining hall. A popular tradition amongst URI students is to
move “down the line” to the neighboring town, Narragansett. These students have better access
to food, which may make them more susceptible to healthy eating habits when compared to
freshman whose access to fresh fruits and vegetables is restricted and reliant on the campus
dining services. A study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
reported the results of an online survey completed by 1200 college level students where 74% of

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students who responded saying that they lived with a parent or family member reported
purchasing food from a supermarket at least once a week, and 68% prepared at least one meal at
home per week. In accordance with findings from the survey’s research, future interventions can
provide a better foundation for promoting the ideas of increased fruit and vegetable intake. For
example, if the survey targets the college student demographic, than access to interventions and
educational programs should be easily attainable. A majority of students have cell phone or
forms of mobile technology that could send them updates, notifications, and other pieces of
information on fruit and vegetable intake from their campus dining halls. According to the
article, “Efficacy and external validity of electronic and mobile phone-based interventions
promoting vegetable intake in young adults: a systematic review protocol” by Juliana Chen,
Monica Marina Nour, and Margaret Allman-Farinelli, researchers explain an intervention in
progress that uses social media, apps, texting, and internet to “deliver health messages and
facilitate change” (Chen, 2015). Staying in contact and giving immediate sources of informations
or daily reminders can help alter an individual’s behavior. Data can be further collected to
understand how immediate sources of information and behavior changes are related in regards to
fruit and vegetable intake. An on-campus intervention that may be helpful in promoting more
fruit and vegetable consumption could be giving students access to a nutritionist, free of charge.
Access to more information on how to increase one’s daily fruit and vegetable consumption,
paired with healthy and easy to prepare recipes may promote increased fruit and vegetable
consumption as well. Many students only interaction with food is through their dining hall so
having programs within the dining hall to promote healthier choices could be helpful in assisting
and educating students on how to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into their meals. The
importance of fruits and vegetables in the human diet is high. The nutrients and associated health

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benefits attained by consuming the daily recommendation of fruit and vegetable is not something
which should be disregarded. If a community of students can get their daily fruit and vegetable
intake to five servings a day they will reduce their risk for chronic disease and will lower the rate
of obesity amongst their population.
Resources
● Chen, J. (2015, July 28). Efficacy and External Validity of Electronic and Mobile Phone-
Based Interventions Promoting Vegetable Intake in Young Adults: A Systematic Review
Protocol. Retrieved October 12, 2015, from
http://www.researchprotocols.org/2015/3/e92/
● Oregon State University. (2011, August 19). College students not eating enough fruits
and veggies, study finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 29, 2015 from
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110817142847.htm:

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● Storey, M., & Anderson, P. (n.d.). Income and race/ethnicity influence dietary fiber
intake and vegetable consumption. Nutrition Research,844-850. Retrieved October 29,
2015, from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0271531714001675
● World Health Organization. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2015, from
http://www.who.int/en/
● Healthy People in Action. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2015, from
http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/Healthy-People-in-Action
● Choose MyPlate. (2015, February 11). Retrieved October 29, 2015, from
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/fruit
● Healthy Campus 2020. American College Health Association, n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2015.
<https://www.acha.org/HealthyCampus/Objectives>
● Laska, Melissa N., Mary O. Hearst, Katherine Lust, Leslie A. Lytle, and Mary Story.
"How We Eat What We Eat: Identifying Meal Routines and Practices Most Strongly
Associated with Healthy and Unhealthy Dietary Factors among Young Adults." N.p., 2
Dec. 2014. Web. 6 Oct. 2015. <http://www-ncbi-nlm-nih-
gov.uri.idm.oclc.org/pubmed/25439511>.
● Larson, Nicole et al. “Predictors of Fruit and Vegetable Intake in Young Adulthood.”
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 112.8 (2012): 1216–1222. PMC. Web.
6 Oct. 2015. ://www-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov.uri.idm.oclc.org/pmc/articles/PMC3402589/

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