Students were asked how often they ate meals. Breakfast is the most commonly missed meal. Responses (% of participants) are as follows; Breakfast: never (8), seldom (25), sometimes (21), usually (24), always (23); Lunch: never (1), seldom (2), sometimes (16), usually (44), always (37); Dinner: never (0), seldom (1), sometimes (4), usually (30), always (65). There are no differences between male and female participants.

Students were asked about frequency of snacking and consumption of soda and alcohol. Most students (63%) are inclined to snack one to two times per day. While “boredom” is the most frequently cited reason for snacking, men state “partying” as a reason for snacking more frequently than women and women state “emotional” more frequently than men. Most students snack on chips, crackers, or nuts; but men snack on fast foods more and on ice cream, cookies and candy less frequently than women. Men consume larger quantities of both soda and alcoholic beverages than women. Fifty-eight percent of participants state they eat vegetables less than once per day and 64% eat whole or canned fruit less than once per day.

When asked to rate the “healthiness” of their eating habits, 51% of participants state “poor” or “fair.” When asked to state the reasons for poor eating habits, 40% state “lack of time,” 22% state “lack of money,” 15% state “taste preferences” and 24% state other reasons. Some of the other reasons stated include “no motivation” (n = 21), “convenience” (n = 20), and “dine at student cafeteria” (n = 17). Forty-two percent of women state “lack of time” compared with 36% of men, whereas 3% of women state “don’t care” compared with 11% of men (χ2, p < 0.05). Exercise Habits, Body Image and Perceived Barriers to Exercise
Eighty-four percent of participants state they currently exercise and the same percentage state they exercised prior to attending college, however, 42% state they exercise less since attending college. Men exercise more frequently and at a greater intensity level than women, see Table 4. In regard to type of exercise, women do more aerobics and less strength-training and partake in fewer competitive sports than men. Men appear to be more confident with their body image. The most commonly cited reason why the participants exercised is “health” (n = 251). There are other stated differences between men and women, see Table 5. Women exercise for reasons of weight and stress reduction and men exercise for enjoyment and gains in muscle and strength. The most commonly cited barriers to exercise are “lack of time” (n = 171), “lack of motivation” (n = 103) and “lack of willpower” (n = 45). There are no differences in barriers to exercise by gender.