SE5 Fast Food in College Students’ Lives

Fast Food in College Students’ Lives

      What do the college students usually eat in their lives? Deeply influenced by Food Inc, I am wondering the eating habits of American college students as well as the differences of eating habits between the sexes. As the National Restaurant Association reveals in the “Quick service restaurant trends”, back to the history, the frequency of fast food consumption has dramatically increased since the early 1970s, as with the rapid paced society development, people prefer to in the fast food restaurant in which food can be ordered, purchased, and received in less than 10 minutes. However, since obesity problem has became more and more important in our community recently, many healthy associations tanks actions such as conducting researches, producing propaganda, to inform people how junk food do harm to their health. Americans concern more about the healthy eating and nutrients. However, have recognized the negative impact of fast food, Americans still cannot live without eating it due to its cost, convenience, and taste. This essay explores the eating habits and healthy concerning among the college students to see their attitude towards the fast food.

      College students are more willing to go to fast food restaurant than other people in this community. Referring to the research by the National restaurant Association, Washington, DC in 2003, the average American ears out about 4 times weekly, frequently at fast-food restaurants; however, college students have been reported to eat meals at fast-food restaurant 6 to 8 times weekly, which indicates that the fast food has considerably contribute to the nutrient intakes of college students in the United States. The National College Health Risk Behavior Survey pointed out that 74% of college students did not eat the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables per day and 22% had eaten 3 or more high-fat foods daily. Both of these two studies indicate that college students have higher fast food consumptions than other groups of people. After healthy organizations successfully spreading the negative impact of fast food on people’s health, more college students realize that obesity is a big issue for their further development. Students generally impose restrictions on themselves to go to fast food restaurant to have dinners, and go to gym several times a week.

      Although college students reduce frequency to go to the fast food restaurant, they are reported often skip meals more frequently, especially breakfast. According to Driskell JA, Kim Y-N and Goebel KJ’s essay “Few differences found in the typical eating and physical activity habits of lower-level and upper- level university students,” 57% of the undergraduate students typically eating breakfast almost every day; however, now less college student are reported typically do that. College students often argue that they don’t have enough time to have breakfast, especially those who have sessions at 8:00am. An unscientific rest schedule is also a significant factor contributed to irregular eating habits among the current college student. For example, many students would not sleep until 1:00am. They often feel hungry around 11:30pm, although they have already had dinner. They would have no choice but order fast food, like Pizza, burger, as almost all that regular restaurants were closed at that time. Eating high calorie food at midnight and before bedtime definitely do harm to students’ heath, and it would also influence their sleep quality, which further have a negative impact on their study in the next day.

      In additions, in the study “Differences exist in the eating habits of university men and women at fast-food restaurants” Judy A. Driskell, Brian R. Meckna and Narissa E. Scales’s compared the college students’ eating habits with different sex. They pointed out that boys eat more fast food than woman, as they are concerned more about convenience, cost and menu choice. Limited time and enjoy the taste were the 2 main reasons subjects gave for choosing to eat fast food. However, girls declare that they concern more about eating with friends and families. Furthermore, female college students in the current study more often indicated that nutritional information influenced their food choices at fast-food restaurants than men, as female students pay more attention to the food label when they are consuming in the restaurant. Another instance is that a larger percentage of men ordered carbonated soda; however, women are inclined to diet carbonated soda.

   

Works Cited

Driskell, Judy A., Brian R. Meckna, and Narissa E. Scales. "Differences Exist in the Eating Habits of University Men and Women at Fast-Food Restaurants." Nutrition Research 26.10 (2006): 524-30. Print.

Driskell JA, Kim Y-N, Goebel KJ. Few differences found in the typical eating and physical activity habits of lower-level and upper- level university students. J Am Diet Assoc 2005.

National Restaurant Association. Quick service restaurant trends. Washington, DC7 National Restaurant Association; 2005.