research habits of college students

The Science of Habit and Its Implications for Student Learning and Well-being

• Review Article
• Published: 17 March 2020
• Volume 32 , pages 603–625, ( 2020 )

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• Logan Fiorella 1  

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Habits are critical for supporting (or hindering) long-term goal attainment, including outcomes related to student learning and well-being. Building good habits can make beneficial behaviors (studying, exercise, sleep, etc.) the default choice, bypassing the need for conscious deliberation or willpower and protecting against temptations. Yet educational research and practice tends to overlook the role of habits in student self-regulation, focusing instead on the role of motivation and metacognition in actively driving behavior. Habit theory may help explain ostensible failures of motivation or self-control in terms of contextual factors that perpetuate poor habits. Further, habit-based interventions may support durable changes in students’ recurring behaviors by disrupting cues that activate bad habits and creating supportive and stable contexts for beneficial ones. In turn, the unique features of educational settings provide a new area in which to test and adapt existing habit models.

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Ironically, one of the few articles on habits in Educational Psychology Review is an interview with the most productive educational psychologists, who cite consistent work habits as important for maintaining research productivity and work-life balance (Flanigan et al. 2018 ; see also Kiewra and Creswell 2000 ; Patterson-Hazley and Kiewra 2013 ). Accounts of writers, artists, musicians, and scientists concur that habits and ritual set the foundation for creativity and productivity (Currey 2013 , 2019 ).

The amount of repetition ultimately required to form a habit likely depends on the complexity of the habit (Mullan and Novoradovskaya 2018 ) and the suitability of the performance context (Wood 2019 ).

The term “study habits” is often defined broadly to include frequency of using various techniques, without specifying the nature or stability of specific context cues or the automaticity of the behavior. For example, Crede and Kuncel ( 2008 ) define study habits as “sound study routines, including but not restricted to, frequency of studying sessions, review of material, self-testing, rehearsal of learned material, and studying in a conductive environment” (p. 429).

Adriaanse, M. A., Kroese, F. M., Gillebaart, M., & De Ridder, D. T. D. (2014). Effortless inhibition: habit mediates the relation between self-control and healthy snack consumption. Frontiers in Psychology, 5 , 444.

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Acknowledgments

I thank Wendy Wood and one anonymous reviewer for their constuctive feedback and suggestions. I also thank Deborah Barany, Qian Zhang, and Michele Lease for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this article. Finally, I thank the students from my First Year Odyssey Seminar at the University of Georgia, Applying the Science of Habit, for their valuable insight into the role of habits in their lives.

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Fiorella, L. The Science of Habit and Its Implications for Student Learning and Well-being. Educ Psychol Rev 32 , 603–625 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09525-1

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Eating habits of college students in relation to obesity.

K.L.L. Pineda, C. Gonzalez-Suarez, R.V. Espino, C.J. Escuadra, S.A. Balid-Attwell, K. Devora, D. Mendoza

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Figures and Tables

Introduction.

An increase in overweight and obese students has been a significant and legitimate public health issue observed in both developed and developing nations worldwide with prevalence among Asian countries ranging from 12.2% to 35.1%.[1] In the Philippines, the 8 th National Nutrition Survey (2013) [2] reported an increased trend on overweight and obesity prevalence from 1993 to 2013 by 3.23% and 14.5% among adolescents (aged 10-19 years old) and young adults (aged 20 years old and above), respectively. The survey revealed as well that three in every ten adults are overweight and obese, particularly females (34.4%) than males (27.6%). This is alarming as overweight and obesity persists in adulthood and may contribute to a number of health concerns including heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and cancer.[3]

The causes of overweight and obesity among adults encompass genetic and environmental factors [4] and unhealthy lifestyles such as lack of physical activity, overeating and short sleep duration.[5-8] These unhealthy behavior patterns were found to be common among entry level college students.[9] The transitional semester from high school to college is also marked by increased risk-taking behaviors including alcohol consumption and smoking.[2,10,11] Though there is already an increased interest on association of these unhealthy habits with overweight and obesity among college students,[5-8] the direction and strength of their correlation is still inconclusive. For example, non-consumption of breakfast, though found to be a risk factor among dental college students (OR 2.39, 95%) [12], was found not to have a significant association among university students in Canada [13] and Malaysia.[14] Though the explanation for these differences is yet to be further explored, most studies attribute inconsistent findings to environmental and cultural differences.[13]

The development and implementation of effective health promotion interventions focusing on healthy lifestyles are imperative in the school setting considering that college life is the period of behavioral and lifestyle explorations that could have a lasting effect on health behaviors in adulthood. Currently, there are local researches that have explored eating practices and weight status among Filipinos across all ages.[7,15,16] However, to the authors’ knowledge, there appears to be limited published local investigations on eating habits and lifestyle and their association with overweight and obesity among college students. Therefore, this study aims to describe the lifestyle habits which include eating, smoking, alcohol drinking and sleeping of emerging adults in Manila and determine if there is a causal relationship in being overweight and obese.

Methodology

Ethical Consideration

The study has been granted ethics approval by the University of Santo Tomas College of Rehabilitation Sciences (Protocol Number: FI-2014-006).   

Study Design

This cross sectional study was carried out among first to fourth year college students of the University of Santo Tomas.

Participants and Sample Size

This study was conducted at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) campus which is located in the City of Manila, Philippines. The university houses 23 colleges with a total population of 42,000 students coming from different income groups. Participants were first to fourth year college students enrolled during the academic school year 2015-2016. They were selected using the random cluster sampling methodology. Based on the university’s student database, the Santo Tomas E-Service providers (STEPS) provided the list of sections. The sample size was calculated using OpenEpi (2016). From the University’s total population of 42,000 college students and a national prevalence of 23.3% for being overweight and obese from ages 18 to 39 years respectively, a sample of 1430 were recruited to achieve 90% power. There were no exclusion criteria for this study.

Study Protocol

An orientation meeting was held for all members of the research team prior to data gathering to ensure the smooth flow and accuracy of collection processes. The assistant head of the research team discussed proper protocols and facilitated the hands-on training of the research team members relative to equipment use as well as weight and height determinations. Testing schedules were arranged with the respective college secretaries and approval of the concerned deans. On the day of data gathering, participants were asked to answer the consent forms and the socio-demographic data sheet. Thereafter, anthropometric measurements were taken and food habit questionnaires distributed to the participants. Data gathering was held in different buildings of the scheduled colleges for the day. A reserved room was provided to the research team for purposes of data gathering.

Outcome Measures

Anthropometric Measurements

Body Mass Index (BMI). This is a measure of weight in relation to a person’s height. In order to classify the participants into having normal weight, being overweight and obese, the International Obesity Task Force’s gender- and age-specific cut-off points were used.[17] Weight was measured to the nearest 0.1 kilogram while height was measured to the nearest 0.1 cm using the weighing scale and Detecto stadiometer, respectively. Participants were asked to remove their shoes and socks and empty their pockets while standing in a relaxed position.

Waist Circumference (WC). This circumference dimension is used to determine body fat distribution and the presence of abdominal or central obesity. Using the Lafayette tape measure, the student’s waist was measured in centimeters (cm).

Food Habit Questionnaire. The food habit questionnaire was adapted from a published study undertaken by Ruka Sakamaki (2005) where food practices of Japanese and Korean female students were compared. The original questionnaire was based on results of a national dietary survey that was conducted by the Health and Labor Ministry of Japan.[18] This same food habit questionnaire was further standardized relative to its usefulness among university students in various investigations.[18-20] To comprehensively assess the habits of participants six items were added to the 11-item original questionnaire resulting in a modified 17-item questionnaire consisting of fourteen (14) questions pertaining to eating habits and three (3) questions on lifestyle practices focusing on sleeping, drinking alcohol and smoking.

Treatment of Data

Each item was answered by students using the Likert range from 1 to 6. To obtain a collective score for the eating, drinking, smoking and sleeping habits among participants, researchers recorded and treated the responses following the scoring method for the RAND 36-Item Health Survey.[21] Numerical values ranging from 1-6 were allocated per item depending on the number of options per item. Highest value was given to good practices (eg, regular meal intake, frequent consumption of vegetables and fruits, non-smoking and non-drinking of alcoholic beverage, sleeping for at least 6 hours) while lower values were given to bad practices. For equal weight distribution in all items, a maximum score of 1 (obtained by dividing the numerical value to the total number of options per item) was assigned to each question. A score of 10 and above, based on possible responses of participants for all eating questions, was considered as good eating practice while a score of 1 for drinking, sleeping and smoking was considered as a good habit.

Statistical Analysis

Using STATA 13, mean, standard deviation (SD), frequency and proportions were used to describe the demographics of included participants. Percentages were utilized to report the prevalence of overweight and obesity. Chi square and t-test were used to compare the bad habits according to gender and BMI. Simple logistic regression was used to determine the relationship of obesity to eating, smoking and sleeping habits. All factors in the logistic regression with a p-value of ≤0.05 were included in the model. Multiple regression was then utilized to determine factors that are significantly associated with being overweight and obese. A p-value of less than or equal to 0.05 was considered significant.

A total of 1401 subjects composed of 850 (60.7%) female and 551 (39.3%) male students participated in this study with ages ranging from 15 to 39 years old and 15 to 25 years old for females and males, respectively. Waist circumference showed significant differences between genders where males had a larger measure. There were significantly more males who were overweight and obese with 26.86% and 12.16% as compared to the females with 18.35% and 7.53% as being overweight and obese (Table 1).

About 75% of students were found to have bad eating habits and 90% had bad sleeping habits. Both male and female students almost had the same percentage of having bad eating habits. Significant differences between the genders were seen as the male participants showed higher prevalence of bad sleeping habits, smoking and alcohol drinking (Table 2).

There is a high percentage of bad eating and sleeping habits, alcohol drinking and smoking among students with normal BMI followed by those in the combined category of overweight and obese students in both genders. However, no significant differences (p-values: >0.05) were observed from the results as seen in Table 3.

Univariate analysis as reflected on Table 4 showed that for both males and females, eating breakfast, taking frequent snacks, eating vegetables, drinking alcohol and smoking habits were found to be significantly associated with being overweight and obese, with p-value equal to 0.04, <0.01, <0.02, 0.02 and 0.01, respectively. Specifically, eating breakfast with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.65 (0.43-0.98), eating frequent snacks with an OR of 0.33 (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.21, 0.52), and eating vegetables with an OR of 0.79 (95% CI: 0.10, 91) were found to be protective factors of being overweight and obese. While drinking alcohol with an OR of 1.34 (95% CI: 1.05, 1.72) and smoking habits with an OR of 1.41 (95% CI: 1.10, 1.81) were found to be risk factors of being overweight and obese.

For males, eating breakfast and taking frequent snacks were significantly associated with being overweight and obese with a p-value equal to <0.01 and 0.01, respectively. Specifically, these two dietary factors were found to be protective of being overweight and obese with an OR of 0.30 (95% CI: 0.15, 0.59) for eating breakfast and 0.46 (95% CI: 0.23, 0.85) for eating frequent snacks.

For females, taking frequent snacks, eating vegetables, eating fruits, eating home-cooked breakfast, eating fast food, drinking alcohol and smoking were found to be significantly associated with being overweight and obese with a p-value equal to <0.01, 0.01, 0.02, 0.01, 0.01, 0.03 and 0.01, respectively. Specifically, eating frequent snacks with an OR of 0.28 (95% CI: 0.15, 0.52), vegetables with an OR of 0.48 (95% CI: 0.29, 0.76), eating fruits with an OR of 0.25 (95% CI: 0.16, 0.76) and eating fast food with an OR of 0.68 (95% CI: 0.50, 0.92) were found to be protective factors of being overweight and obese. While eating home-cooked breakfast with an OR of 3.09 (95% CI: 1.51-6.32), drinking alcohol with an OR of 1.25 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.52) and smoking with an OR of 1.28 (95% CI: 1.08, 1.52) were found to be risk factors of being overweight and obese.

Multivariate analysis showed that eating breakfast and vegetables are protective in being overweight and obese for both genders with an OR of 0.59 (95% CI: 0.39, 0.89) and 0.32 (95% CI: 0.21, 0.50), respectively, while taking frequent snacks is a risk factor in being overweight and obese (OR 2.05 95% CI: 1.25, 3.36). For males, eating breakfast and taking frequent snacks are protective from being overweight and obese with an OR of 0.32 (95% CI: 0.16, 0.63) and 0.48 (95% CI: 0.25, 0.93). While for females, taking frequent snacks is a risk factor for being overweight and obese with an OR of 2.41 (95% CI: 1.25, 4.66) and eating vegetables is protective from being overweight and obese with an OR of 0.29 (95% CI: 0.16, 0.53) (Table 5).

The present data established that 58% of participants have normal BMI and a higher number was found among females (61.41%). Thirty-one percent (31%) are overweight and obese and higher prevalence was found among male students (39.02%). It is assumed that female students are conscious about their weight status than males due to females’ wanting to have a slim figure for attractiveness that leads to a lower rate of obesity among female students.[22] Similar findings were found across different studies done in Lebanon and Thailand where a majority of the students had normal BMI with a high prevalence among females while more male students were seen being overweight and obese.[19,22] On the contrary, studies among university students in Turkey and China showed a high prevalence of students with normal BMI and lower prevalence of being overweight and obese.[15,18]

Based on the regression model, only breakfast, vegetables and snacking were found to have significant effects on overweight and obesity. The following paragraphs discuss in detail the various evidences that support these findings.

Using the multivariate analysis, this present study showed that across gender, eating breakfast is a protective factor in becoming overweight and obese. Similar results were observed in investigations undertaken among children and adolescents from many countries such as Fiji, [23] Japan, [18] and India.[5] Thompson-McCormick, et al. (2010) however, hypothesized that it is possible that eating pathology in general and not skipping breakfast promotes weight gain. They explained that skipping breakfast is being used as an intentional weight loss strategy by individuals who were categorized in the overweight classes.[23] In addition, Saikia, et al. (2016) revealed that overweight and obese adolescents consumed less number of major meals, skipped breakfast and had three or more extra snacks in between meals. It is likely that skipping meals may lead to eating more snacks and junk food every time they felt hungry.[24] On the contrary, students’ BMI did not correlate with frequency of taking breakfast for both males and females among students in the Belgrade University in Serbia. In this study, taking breakfast is important because the university has an 8 am to 6 pm class schedule and no established lunch breaks in between classes.[25]

Breakfast is one of the most important daily meals. Eating breakfast may help with a nutrient-dense diet that can boost the ability to engage in regular physical activity.[25] Nutritionists recommend that one-third of daily calories should be eaten for breakfast. Skipping or missing breakfast will compromise health, energy levels, and cognitive performance leading to greater levels of hunger later in the day, producing greater overall intake. It is surprising that eating home-cooked breakfast was associated with overweight and obesity in females in this present study. However, this may be associated with the types of food present in a typical Filipino breakfast such as fried rice, egg and meat which could be dense and higher in caloric content.[7]

In this present study, eating vegetables was found to be a protective factor for being overweight and obese in both genders. Similar results were obtained in investigations undertaken by Al-Hazzaa, et al. (2012) among students in different universities situated in three cities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.[26] Results showed a significant association between reduced vegetable intake and increased odds of having abdominal obesity among the students. Researches stated that the mechanism of vegetable intake and obesity prevention is not fully clear. However, it could be due to the total effect obtained from having healthy habits.

Inadequate intake of fruits and vegetables may have a negative impact on health. It is well published that vegetables and fruits contain low fat and energy density (kcal/g), but high in water and dietary fiber, which may increase satiety and decrease the hunger feeling after a meal. Therefore, including them in the diet can reduce a person’s caloric intake, and thus, aid in managing weight. It has been reported that students from countries like Lebanon, China and Korea had regular intake of vegetables.[18,19] In the Philippines, a study on vegetable consumption among selected public schools showed that Filipino adolescents consumed substantially fewer servings of vegetables than the recommended daily allowances.[27]

Gunes, et al. defined a snack to mean foods and drinks taken outside the components of the three major meals.[28] The current study showed that frequent snacking is a risk factor for becoming overweight and obese across genders. In the Philippines, a study undertaken at The Iligan National High School showed that students aged 14-15 years old chose soft drinks, biscuits, cakes, sandwiches and puto (rice cake) during snack time.[29] Snacking may be a contributory factor to gaining positive energy levels and eventually an increase in body weight. Poor snacking such as consuming ice cream, cupcakes, chips and cookies should be discouraged because these foods are basically high in calories and low in nutrients.[30] In this present study, the authors hypothesized that the results may attribute to the availability and accessibility of energy dense foods, sugary foods and beverages and fast foods inside the university.

Contrary to the present study, Gunes, et al. showed that frequent consumption of snacks appeared to be protective of becoming overweight/obese among university students in the universities in Istanbul, Turkey.[28] Suarez, et al. (2015) also reported that snacking frequency is not related to the odds of being overweight but emphasized that the number of servings from snacking was significantly associated to being overweight.[15]

This research is without any limitations. While the initial target sample size was not met, in the two-tailed post hoc exact test for multiple regression (random model) using G*Power 3.1.9.2 it was found that the included sample of n=1401 had a power of 1.00.[31,32] Although the observed significant prevalence of being overweight and obesity may reflect situations among individuals in the same age and school-based population, this investigation was a cross-sectional study limited to one university alone. A multi-center study may reveal data that can be reflective of the national prevalence. In addition, a longitudinal study would show a better relationship of eating and lifestyle habits with obesity among university students. Relative to the questionnaire used, details such as the nutritional component and type of food can be further explored to clearly show the association of the dietary habits and BMI. Also, in terms of snacking, factors such as timing, calories and type of snack foods eaten should be further explored.

This study concluded that there is a large percentage of student population who are particularly overweight and obese, specifically males. Eating breakfast and vegetables are protective in being overweight and obese, while taking frequent snacks is a risk factor in being overweight and obese for both genders. Obesity can occur at any age. Clearly, college students would profit from health promotion programs that focus on these important health concerns. Health education classes, wellness programs and healthy food choices in university cafeteria are some of the possible health promotion interventions that should benefit the university community. College and university web and journals can be used to carry health education messages. More investigations associating obesity with eating habits and lifestyle practices can be done in the future.

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Table 1. Comparison of anthropometric measurements by sex

Table 2. Comparison of bad habits by gender

Table 3. Comparison of bad habits by BMI category and sex

Table 4. Univariate analysis of factors associated with overweight and obesity

Table 5. Multivariate analysis of factors associated with overweight and obesity

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Citation for this article:

• Open access
• Published: 02 February 2023

State of nutrition amongst US college students: dataset of a national survey study

• Saipriya Gande 1 ,
• Rohan K. Mangal 2 ,
• Thor S. Stead 3 &
• Latha Ganti 4  

BMC Research Notes volume  16 , Article number:  10 ( 2023 ) Cite this article

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Metrics details

This article presents the dataset titled “Nutrition habits amongst college students in the United States. [ 1 ]” The dataset contains the survey responses of 200 US college students aged 18–24 years regarding their knowledge, attitudes, and challenges with regard to nutrition. The recommended USDA (US daily allowance) is 200 calories, comprised of 2 cups fruits, 2.5 cups vegetables, 5.5 ounces of protein, 6 ounces of grains, and 3 cups of dairy [ 2 ]. Adhering to these nutritional guidelines however can be complicated by rising tuition prices, food insecurity, and inability to make one’s own food.

Data description

The data in the dataset attempt to estimate the incidence of these barriers. These data could be useful to understand the barriers to healthy eating amongst young adults, and design targeted solutions.

Peer Review reports

The objective of this research is to survey US College students on their knowledge and habits towards nutrition. It is known that “eating healthy” can actually be difficult, and college students often have special challenges such as being responsible for their own nutrition perhaps for the first time as young adults. The study aimed to decipher whether factors such as knowledge gaps regarding health benefits of a balanced diet exist. The study also aimed to assess whether rising college tuition imposed a barrier and the level of food insecurity among college students.

Two hundred (N = 200) domestic U.S. college students ages 18–24 attending a 4-year university were surveyed through a third party anonymous survey research platform. The survey research platform uses organic sampling built on Random Device Engagement (RDE). Using artificial intelligence (AI) to track unique respondent identification, RDE reaches users in their natural environments as they participate in their daily activities through any device. The advanced AI technology and algorithm prevents fraud from single users on multiple accounts and suspicious or illogical responses to specific questions.

One screening question was used to determine survey eligibility. This question asked whether and what type of college student the respondent was. I order to be eligible, the respondent had to be between 18 and 24 years old, and attending a 4-year university in the United States (US).

The survey then consisted of 10 questions. For some of the questions, multiple selections amongst the multiple choices were allowed, so that percentage totals could exceed 100%. The final question was an open-ended one designed to capture the students’ verbatim feelings.

There are two files included in the repository (Table  1 ). The first is the actual survey instrument used to collect the data. The second file is the actual dataset. The dataset contains the following demographic information: age range, sex, race, US state of respondents’ address, marital status, number of children if any, education, employment status, and income level. The dataset also contains responses to every individual question on the survey instrument. There is also a field for the open ended question at the end of the survey that asks : “Please describe the biggest obstacles for you in your diet.” These responses are provided in raw form, as verbatim responses.

Limitations

The limitations of these data are these inherent to any dataset based on survey responses. In particular, respondents with biases may select themselves into the sample. Nonetheless, these data could be useful to understand the barriers to healthy eating amongst young adults. These data could be used to design targeted solutions for young adults who struggle to meet recommended dietary guidelines.

Availability of data and materials

The data described in this Data note can be freely and openly accessed on [Synapse] under [DOI https://doi.org/10.7303/syn38269688.1 ] after registration as a synapse user at http://synpase.org . Please see Table  1 and references [ 1 , 2 ] for details links to the data.

Gande S, Mangal RK, Stead TS, Ganti L. A survey of nutrition habits amongst US College Students. Synapse, V1. https://doi.org/10.7303/syn38269688.1

Gande S, Mangal RK, Stead TS, Ganti L. A survey of nutrition habits amongst US College Students: the survey instrument. Synapse, V1. https://doi.org/10.7303/syn38288698.1

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported (in whole or in part) by HCA Healthcare and/or an HCA Healthcare affiliated entity. The views expressed in this publication represent those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of HCA Healthcare or any of its affiliated entities.

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Gande, S., Mangal, R.K., Stead, T.S. et al. State of nutrition amongst US college students: dataset of a national survey study. BMC Res Notes 16 , 10 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-023-06273-7

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Celebrating 150 years of Harvard Summer School. Learn about our history.

Top 10 Study Tips to Study Like a Harvard Student

Adjusting to a demanding college workload might be a challenge, but these 10 study tips can help you stay prepared and focused.

Lian Parsons

The introduction to a new college curriculum can seem overwhelming, but optimizing your study habits can boost your confidence and success both in and out of the classroom. 

Transitioning from high school to the rigor of college studies can be overwhelming for many students, and finding the best way to study with a new course load can seem like a daunting process. 

Effective study methods work because they engage multiple ways of learning. As Jessie Schwab, psychologist and preceptor at the Harvard College Writing Program, points out, we tend to misjudge our own learning. Being able to recite memorized information is not the same as actually retaining it. 

“One thing we know from decades of cognitive science research is that learners are often bad judges of their own learning,” says Schwab. “Memorization seems like learning, but in reality, we probably haven’t deeply processed that information enough for us to remember it days—or even hours—later.”

Planning ahead and finding support along the way are essential to your success in college. This blog will offer study tips and strategies to help you survive (and thrive!) in your first college class. 

1. Don’t Cram! 

It might be tempting to leave all your studying for that big exam up until the last minute, but research suggests that cramming does not improve longer term learning. 

Students may perform well on a test for which they’ve crammed, but that doesn’t mean they’ve truly learned the material, says an article from the American Psychological Association . Instead of cramming, studies have shown that studying with the goal of long-term retention is best for learning overall.   

2. Plan Ahead—and Stick To It! 

Having a study plan with set goals can help you feel more prepared and can give you a roadmap to follow. Schwab said procrastination is one mistake that students often make when transitioning to a university-level course load. 

“Oftentimes, students are used to less intensive workloads in high school, so one of my biggest pieces of advice is don’t cram,” says Schwab. “Set yourself a study schedule ahead of time and stick to it.”

3. Ask for Help

You don’t have to struggle through difficult material on your own. Many students are not used to seeking help while in high school, but seeking extra support is common in college.

As our guide to pursuing a biology major explains, “Be proactive about identifying areas where you need assistance and seek out that assistance immediately. The longer you wait, the more difficult it becomes to catch up.”

There are multiple resources to help you, including your professors, tutors, and fellow classmates. Harvard’s Academic Resource Center offers academic coaching, workshops, peer tutoring, and accountability hours for students to keep you on track.  

4. Use the Buddy System 

Your fellow students are likely going through the same struggles that you are. Reach out to classmates and form a study group to go over material together, brainstorm, and to support each other through challenges.

Having other people to study with means you can explain the material to one another, quiz each other, and build a network you can rely on throughout the rest of the class—and beyond. 

5. Find Your Learning Style

It might take a bit of time (and trial and error!) to figure out what study methods work best for you. There are a variety of ways to test your knowledge beyond simply reviewing your notes or flashcards. 

Schwab recommends trying different strategies through the process of metacognition. Metacognition involves thinking about your own cognitive processes and can help you figure out what study methods are most effective for you. 

Schwab suggests practicing the following steps:

• Before you start to read a new chapter or watch a lecture, review what you already know about the topic and what you’re expecting to learn.
• As you read or listen, take additional notes about new information, such as related topics the material reminds you of or potential connections to other courses. Also note down questions you have.
• Afterward, try to summarize what you’ve learned and seek out answers to your remaining questions. 

Explore summer courses for high school students.

6. Take Breaks

The brain can only absorb so much information at a time. According to the National Institutes of Health , research has shown that taking breaks in between study sessions boosts retention. 

Studies have shown that wakeful rest plays just as important a role as practice in learning a new skill. Rest allows our brains to compress and consolidate memories of what we just practiced. 

Make sure that you are allowing enough time, relaxation, and sleep between study sessions so your brain will be refreshed and ready to accept new information.

7. Cultivate a Productive Space

Where you study can be just as important as how you study. 

Find a space that is free of distractions and has all the materials and supplies you need on hand. Eat a snack and have a water bottle close by so you’re properly fueled for your study session. 

8. Reward Yourself

Studying can be mentally and emotionally exhausting and keeping your stamina up can be challenging.

Studies have shown that giving yourself a reward during your work can increase the enjoyment and interest in a given task.

According to an article for Science Daily , studies have shown small rewards throughout the process can help keep up motivation, rather than saving it all until the end. 

Next time you finish a particularly challenging study session, treat yourself to an ice cream or  an episode of your favorite show.

9. Review, Review, Review

Practicing the information you’ve learned is the best way to retain information. 

Researchers Elizabeth and Robert Bjork have argued that “desirable difficulties” can enhance learning. For example, testing yourself with flashcards is a more difficult process than simply reading a textbook, but will lead to better long-term learning. 

“One common analogy is weightlifting—you have to actually “exercise those muscles” in order to ultimately strengthen your memories,” adds Schwab.

10. Set Specific Goals

Setting specific goals along the way of your studying journey can show how much progress you’ve made. Psychology Today recommends using the SMART method:

• Specific: Set specific goals with an actionable plan, such as “I will study every day between 2 and 4 p.m. at the library.”  
• Measurable: Plan to study a certain number of hours or raise your exam score by a certain percent to give you a measurable benchmark.
• Realistic: It’s important that your goals be realistic so you don’t get discouraged. For example, if you currently study two hours per week, increase the time you spend to three or four hours rather than 10.
• Time-specific: Keep your goals consistent with your academic calendar and your other responsibilities.

Using a handful of these study tips can ensure that you’re getting the most out of the material in your classes and help set you up for success for the rest of your academic career and beyond. 

Learn more about our summer programs for high school students.

About the Author

Lian Parsons is a Boston-based writer and journalist. She is currently a digital content producer at Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education. Her bylines can be found at the Harvard Gazette, Boston Art Review, Radcliffe Magazine, Experience Magazine, and iPondr.

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College Students and Eating Habits: A Study Using An Ecological Model for Healthy Behavior

Affiliations.

• 1 Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy. [email protected].
• 2 Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA. [email protected].
• 3 Tecnológico de Monterrey, EGADE Business School, San Pedro Garza García 66269, Mexico. [email protected].
• 4 Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA. [email protected].
• 5 Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy. [email protected].
• PMID: 30477101
• PMCID: PMC6315356
• DOI: 10.3390/nu10121823

Overweightness and obesity rates have increased dramatically over the past few decades and they represent a health epidemic in the United States (US). Unhealthy dietary habits are among the factors that can have adverse effects on weight status in young adulthood. The purpose of this explorative study was to use a qualitative research design to analyze the factors (barriers and enablers) that US college students perceived as influencing healthy eating behaviors. A group of Cornell University students ( n = 35) participated in six semi-structured focus groups. A qualitative software, CAQDAS Nvivo11 Plus, was used to create codes that categorized the group discussions while using an Ecological Model. Common barriers to healthy eating were time constraints, unhealthy snacking, convenience high-calorie food, stress, high prices of healthy food, and easy access to junk food. Conversely, enablers to healthy behavior were improved food knowledge and education, meal planning, involvement in food preparation, and being physically active. Parental food behavior and friends' social pressure were considered to have both positive and negative influences on individual eating habits. The study highlighted the importance of consulting college students when developing healthy eating interventions across the campus (e.g., labeling healthy food options and information campaigns) and considering individual-level factors and socio-ecological aspects in the analysis.

Keywords: USA; focus group; interventions; overweight; qualitative studies; young adults.

• Environment
• Feeding Behavior*
• Focus Groups
• Health Behavior*
• Obesity / etiology
• Social Environment
• Universities*
• Young Adult

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Places with more college graduates tend to foster better lifestyle habits overall, research finds

by Christy DeSmith, Harvard Gazette

Having more education has long been linked to better individual health. But those benefits are also contagious, say the co-authors of a new working paper .

"It's not just that the individuals who have more years of education are in better health," said David M. Cutler, Otto Eckstein Professor of Applied Economics. "It's that even people with fewer years of education—for example, people with just a high school degree—are in better health when they live around people who have more years of education."

The paper examines why cities with more college graduates see lower mortality rates for residents overall. It's not due to spatial sorting, or the practice of relocating to live amidst those with similar habits. Nor did the researchers find a particularly strong correlation with factors like clean air, low crime, and high-quality health care infrastructure. Instead, most of the explanation involves rates of smoking, physical activity, and obesity.

The pattern has everything to do with a community's common culture, said co-author Edward L. Glaeser, the Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics and chair of the Department of Economics. "Smoking, for example, is a social activity," he said. "Fundamentally, being around other smokers is fine if you're smoking, but it's usually pretty unpleasant if you're not smoking."

Glaeser, an urban economist and author of "Triumph of the City" (2011), has spent decades studying how varying education levels play out across U.S. society. One well-established finding concerns economic resilience . "If you ask yourself, which American cities managed to turn themselves around after the very difficult period of the 1970s and 1980s? Educated places like Seattle or Boston did. Less-educated places did not," Glaeser said.

For his part, Cutler, a health economist , spent the last few decades parsing the strong link between education and individual health outcomes. All the while he kept collaborating with Glaeser to explore obesity , smoking , and other health-related behaviors at the community level. The economists revisited these issues in the 2021 book "Survival of the City: The Future of Urban Life in an Age of Isolation."

Also collaborating on the new paper were Jacob H. Bor, an associate professor of global health at Boston University, and Ljubica Ristovska, a postdoctoral fellow at Yale. Together, the researchers rejected the spatial sorting explanation with the help of data from the University of Michigan's Health and Retirement Study .

Similar analysis was done using data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of young women and men. Results showed that unhealthy people of all ages relocate more frequently than healthy ones. But both groups settle in areas with roughly equal levels of human capital (defined here as a population's years of education).

The team analyzed a variety of information sources—from county-level homicide statistics to regional estimates of air quality and a federal measure of hospital quality —to see whether mortality differentials are due to area amenities. "We estimate that at most 17% percent of the human capital externality on health is due to these external factors, driven largely by greater use of preventative care," the co-authors wrote.

Instead, the majority of the correlation between human capital and area health—at least 60 percent—is explained by differences in health-related behaviors, the researchers found. Combining data from both the U.S. Census Bureau and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that every 10% increase in an area's share of college graduates was associated with an annual 7% decrease in all-cause mortality.

With additional data from the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS), the researchers were able to probe connections between human capital and various health-related behaviors. Every 10% increase in an area's college graduates was associated with a 13% decrease in smoking, a 7% decrease in having no physical activity, and a 12% decrease in the probability of being very obese.

"It really opens up all these questions of how people form their beliefs," Cutler said.

The paper went deepest on smoking, given the wealth of historical numbers on cigarette initiation, cessation, and beliefs. CPS data showed that in cities where people have more years of education—New York City, Boston, or Seattle, for example—people are more likely to think that smoking is bad for you.

Residents of these cities are also likelier to support smoking regulations. For every 10% increase in bachelor's degrees, the probability of working at a place with a complete smoking ban increases by 2 percentage points.

Cutler and Glaeser were especially fascinated to find a growing connection over time between human capital and area health, especially between the years 1990 and 2010. As the correlation between individual education and behavior increased, they explained, the relationship between a community's education levels and its mortality rates slowly followed suit.

"Just look at people who were 70 in 2000," said Glaeser, who has observed a similar dynamic over the same period between human capital and earnings . "These people were 30 in 1960. A lot of people were smoking in 1960, and there wasn't nearly as strong of an education gradient as we saw 30 years later."

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Promoting Healthy Eating Habits for College Students Through Creating Dietary Diaries via a Smartphone App and Social Media Interaction: Online Survey Study

Masako watanabe-ito.

1 Department of Public Health Nursing, School of Nursing, Toho University, Ota, Tokyo, Japan

Emiko Kishi

Yoko shimizu.

2 Department of Community Nursing, School of Nursing, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan

Youth in developed countries face the contradictory health problems of obesity and an excessive desire for weight loss. Developing a better health attitude for college students is essential as this period of life establishes future lifestyle and habits. Online interaction on social media can help to improve eating habits by creating dietary diaries through a smartphone app; however, the effects of such interactions for college students have not been examined to date.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential effectiveness of social media interactions with the use of dietary diaries on a smartphone app to motivate college students in raising self-awareness of their eating habits.

Forty-two college students in the greater Tokyo area of Japan participated in the study by creating dietary diaries online through a smartphone app and then followed/interacted with each other using social media for 7 consecutive days in September to November 2017. Online surveys were administered at baseline, immediately after creating the dietary diaries, and at 1-month follow up. Participants rated their degree of interest and self-evaluation of eating habits using 7-point scales, and answered multiple choice questions related to their thoughts in choosing meals/drinks among 10 topics. Free descriptions about their overall experience throughout the project were also collected in the follow-up survey.

Data from 38 participants who completed all processes were analyzed. Over time, the mean score for degree of interest in eating habits increased from 4.6 to 6.2 ( P <.001), while the self-evaluation score decreased from 4.5 to 3.6 ( P <.001); these significant differences remained after 1 month (5.3, P =.002; 4.1, P =0.04, respectively). A weak negative correlation ( P =.009) was observed between scores for degree of interest and self-evaluation. Participants with lower scores for degree of interest at baseline tended to increase their interest level by more than 2 points above the average ( P <.001). Participants gradually thought more about their eating habits from various perspectives when choosing a meal/drink, particularly with respect to maintaining well-balanced diets and introducing diverse ingredients. Participants evaluated their experiences as interesting/fun and reported familiarity with using the smartphone app and social media as the preferred method to keep track of their eating. All participants welcomed communication with fellow participants on social media and motivated each other, in addition to monitoring their eating habits through online dietary diaries. Some participants experienced difficulty, especially when they were busy or faced a lack of internet access.

Conclusions

Through interactions on social media, college students experienced encouragement and developed an interest and critical thinking with respect to their eating habits. This approach, which embraces peer education and peer support with social media, holds promise for the future of youth health promotion. Further examination will be needed to explore how to sustain this level of heightened awareness.

Introduction

In the last three decades, lifestyle-related health problems among youth in developed countries have become increasingly complicated given a simultaneous rise in the incidence of obesity and diabetes [ 1 - 3 ] with an excessive desire to lose weight by adopting unbalanced diets [ 4 ]. Among youth, college students are a particularly harder group to reach owing to their busy lives taken up by newly available activities associated with college life. Previous studies reported that although college students have adequate nutritional knowledge, their eating behavior is not necessarily healthy because they cannot recognize direct links between eating habits and health [ 5 - 8 ]. Therefore, it is essential to promote healthier eating habits among college students because lifestyles are established during this critical period, which have a significant impact on their future health.

Health education for college students requires new approaches that view young people as managers of their own eating habits rather than as recipients of health information. In Japan, 98.7% of people in their 20s use the internet, 88.7% own smartphones, and 78.5% use social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter to communicate with each other and obtain information [ 9 ]. The World Health Organization also supports the potential of mobile health, which uses mobile and wireless technologies to support the achievement of health objectives, especially for motivating young people to acquire healthy behaviors [ 10 ]. Over the past 15 years, many researchers have adopted smartphone apps for health care such as for supporting behavioral management required during mental health care [ 11 ] and for self-monitoring in managing long-term conditions [ 12 ].

Since the 1980s, paper-based approaches such as food frequency questionnaires [ 13 - 15 ] and single or multiple daily recalls [ 16 - 18 ] have been conventionally applied for dietary assessment. Although these are cost-effective methods, some researchers noted that they are time consuming and rely on participants’ memory and literacy, which can lead to higher rates of underreporting [ 19 , 20 ]. Since 1995, the use of innovative technologies has been shown to improve dietary assessment in various research settings. Research related to the use of dietary diaries with computer-based technologies has been conducted in both personal and interactive situations, demonstrating that data can be collected at a time that is convenient for participants [ 21 , 22 ]. Personal digital assistant technologies provide dietary diaries with a portion size measurement aid to enable participants to easily record their food [ 23 , 24 ], and mobile phone/smartphone-based technologies further enrich the data with the addition of digital photos and voice recording, as well as allowing easier registration regardless of location and time [ 25 - 27 ]. Illner et al [ 28 ] conducted a systematic review of the innovative technologies available for dietary diaries, demonstrating that dietary diaries that utilize technology have the potential to be more cost- and time-effective, and utilize less laborious means of data correction.

Public health research has expanded in recent years to explore methods that best promote a healthy diet and the adoption of information and communication technology, including a randomized controlled trial on the typical health specialist-patient relationship [ 29 ]. Research to promote college students’ eating habits demonstrated that interventions employing information and communication technology can be effective [ 30 - 35 ], and some researchers adopted smartphones and personal digital assistants as assessment tools [ 36 - 38 ]. However, to date, few studies have examined the effects of online peer communication among participants monitoring their eating habits. Watanabe et al [ 39 ] investigated how college students interacted with each other through dietary diaries via an internet weblog that was accessed on flip-style phones; this approach was sufficiently familiar to enable participants to discover new challenges in their eating habits [ 39 ]. Turner-Mcgrievy and Tate [ 40 ] reported the effect of a weight loss program among adults using social media via smartphones. However, the effects of online interaction on social media by creating dietary diaries through a smartphone app to improve college students’ eating habits have not yet been examined.

Our research explores how interactions through social media and creating dietary diaries with a smartphone app motivate college students to raise self-awareness of their eating habits in an effort to develop effective health education approaches for youth. In this study, we investigated (1) how college students change their interest levels and critical viewpoints toward their eating habits; (2) changes in various viewpoints with regard to their decision-making process when eating; and (3) their experiences from interactions on social media when creating dietary diaries via a smartphone app.

Research Design and Participants

This was a before-after study design conducted from September to November 2017 including 42 college students in the greater Tokyo area of Japan who were recruited through bulletin board posters at 5 cooperating universities. Any students at the cooperating universities under 25 years of age were eligible for inclusion in the study, regardless of gender or living situation. Following completion of all research processes, the participants received 2,000 JPY on prepaid cards that could be used at domestic convenience stores.

Overall Design and Grouping

The participants were randomly divided into groups of 3 people and were asked to (1) create dietary diaries through the smartphone app and interact with/follow each other through social media; and (2) answer online surveys at baseline, immediately after creating the dietary diaries, and at 1-month follow up.

Creating Dietary Diaries

Participants recorded all of the food and drinks they consumed in their online diaries, including photos, text, and commentary space, during a 7-consecutive day period using a smartphone app. In the diaries, the app allowed them to register what they ate by choosing from a preregistered menu, products, or ingredients. Participants also wrote about their thoughts while eating or drinking. For example, they recorded the type of attention paid to choosing their meal or how they cooked the meal. Participants followed the diaries of their fellow group participants at least once a day, read blog-style diaries, and communicated with each other using the social media function in the commentary spaces of the diaries.

Online Surveys

Online surveys were administered three times: at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and at 1-month follow up. Participants were asked to respond to items on: (1) degree of interest in their eating habits, which was rated on a scale of 1 (“not at all”) to 7 (“very much”); (2) self-evaluation of their eating habits on a scale of 1 (“very bad”) to 7 (“very good”); and (3) multiple choice responses to the types of topics they considered when choosing food/drink among 10 topics based on a national survey of health and nutrition in Japan [ 41 ]. Data on basic personal characteristics and lifestyle were also collected at baseline. The final follow-up questionnaire included a free-response item asking for their overall experiences through participation in the project.

Research Settings and Smartphone App

Based on the pretest and our previous research [ 39 ], we set a 7-day intervention period so that participants had sufficient time to complete the required tasks, which included both keeping diaries and online surveys, and to ensure that their diaries reflected their eating habits depending on activities on both weekdays and weekends. We determined the number of participants in each group to allow for browsing participants’ diaries without unreasonable effort and to facilitate interaction with each other. We set the number of groups at 14 so that we could feasibly monitor the diaries and preempt any trouble between participants or unexpected disclosures of privacy. The smartphone app asken (asken Inc, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan) was used as the medium through which the participants created their dietary diaries and communicated with each other. The asken app is one of the most popular apps for diet management and nutrition improvement, with over 3.5 million users in Japan as of January 2020 [ 42 ]. We further selected the asken app for this research because it allows users to create diaries within a social networking system, thereby eliminating the need to send private messages, which safeguarded the participants’ privacy and security ( Figure 1 ).

Details of the asken app.

Data Analysis

All 42 participants completed the diaries, but 4 were excluded from the analysis because they did not complete the 1-month follow-up online survey.

Quantitative data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics, version 23 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA). Changes in points for degree of interest, self-evaluation about their eating habits, and the number of topics that participants considered during their decision making were analyzed at three time points: baseline, immediately after creating dietary diaries, and at the 1-month follow up. First, Friedman tests were applied to determine whether any of the differences between the medians at the three time points were statistically significant. Since the P values were less than the significance threshold ( P <.01), Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to examine the results between two time points compared with baseline, and Bonferroni correction was applied to the P values for multiple comparisons. To evaluate the degree of coherence between factors of participants who had a greater change in their scores for degree of interest than the average immediately after the intervention, Chi square tests were performed to compare basic characteristics and scores for degree of interest at baseline.

The content of free descriptions was analyzed using the qualitative content analysis method suggested by Graneheim and Lundman [ 43 ]. One author (MW) coded the content and discussed the results with other researchers until agreement was reached. The codes were then assigned to suitable categories and subcategories as agreed upon through discussion among researchers.

Ethical Considerations

This study was approved by the Ethical Review Board at Tokyo Women’s Medical University (approval no. 4055, August 8, 2017). Participants were informed in writing of the research purpose and methods, that participation was voluntary, and that all collected data would be used only for research purposes and would be kept confidential. Participants were instructed not to upload any personal information online and provided written informed consent to participate. The investigators employed the latest security software to prevent data breaches, and all computers and documents were stored in secure areas.

Participant Characteristics

The basic characteristics of the participants are summarized in Table 1 .

Basic characteristics of participants (N=38).

All 38 participants were female, ranging in age from 19 to 22 years. Two participants were nutrition majors, and the remaining 36 majored in other subjects. The majority of participants had a self-reported body mass index in the normal range, whereas about 20% were underweight (mean 20.1, range 17.2-24.1) and none was overweight. The majority of participants lived with their families, followed by living alone and in college dormitories. All participants who lived with their families indicated that their parents cooked their meals, and just over half indicated that they cooked for themselves. The large majority of participants rated themselves to be in “excellent” or “good” health, while 3 participants rated their health as “not so good”; none rated their health as “poor.”

Changes in Scores for Degree of Interest and Self-Evaluation of Eating Habits

Participants’ scores for degree of interest in eating habits increased significantly ( P <.001) while the scores for self-evaluation of eating habits decreased significantly ( P <.001) throughout the process of creating dietary diaries. These differences remained significant at the 1-month follow up compared with the respective baseline values ( Table 2 ).

Changes of participants’ awareness associated with their eating habits through the intervention (N=38).

a Compared with the baseline score after Bonferroni correction.

b Scale from 1 (“very bad”) to 7 (“very good”).

c Not applicable.

d Scale from 1 (“not at all”) to 7 (“very much”).

e Multiple choice answers.

The participants’ interest level about their eating increased from baseline immediately after creating their dietary diaries, and then decreased slightly at the 1-month follow up. The average baseline score for self-evaluation of eating habits decreased immediately after creating dietary diaries and increased slightly at the 1-month follow up. A statistically significant but weak negative correlation was observed between scores of interest level and eating habits in self-evaluation (r=0.221, P =.009).

Regarding the factors that affected participants who changed their scores for degree of interest by more than the average, a smaller score at baseline (1-2) had a significant effect. However, there were no significant effects according to living arrangement, self-reported body mass index, cooking status, and self-perceived health condition ( Table 3 ).

Factors affecting participants with substantial changes in their scores of interest level through the intervention (N=38).

a After Yates' correction.

Changes in Dietary Topics Influencing Decision Making in Eating

The numbers of dietary topics participants thought about when they chose their meal/drink increased immediately after creating dietary diaries compared to that at baseline. The increase and the significant difference was maintained at the 1-month follow up ( Table 2 ).

Considering the details of the topics more carefully ( Table 4 ), at baseline, participants thought about “quantity of food consumed,” “eating a variety of foods/ingredients,” “whether to drink alcohol or not,” and “when to eat.” After creating dietary diaries, the number of participants who chose “the nutrient balance of meals,” “whether to eat breakfast or not,” and “eating a variety of foods/ingredients” increased substantially. Eight participants chose “nothing in particular” at baseline, but no participant chose this response after creating dietary diaries.

Categories considered during decision making about food and drink based on multiple choice responses (N=38).

Participants’ Experience From the Project

Main categories of participant experience.

Participants’ descriptions of their project experiences were sorted into 5 categories and 16 subcategories ( Textbox 1 ), along with 52 lower-level codes from 223 meaning units.

Qualitative analysis of participants’ experiences of communication on social media when creating dietary diaries.

Category A: “It was fun/interesting to participate in the project”

A-1: Fun/interesting to keep the records of what I ate.

A-2: Fun/interesting to take photos of what I ate.

A-3: Fun/interesting to see what other members ate.

A-4: Fun/interesting to see comments and stamps from other members.

Category B: “I learned from participating in the project”

B-1: It made me think more of my eating habits and physical activities.

B-2: It made me more conscious of my eating habits.

B-3: I observed and learned from other members.

Category C: “Participating caused some difficulties”

C-1: It took time to complete project tasks.

C-2: It was difficult to record in general.

C-3: The period of the project was too short.

Category D: “Advantages/disadvantages of using the smartphone app and social media”

D-1: Advantages of using the mobile phone app include that it’s familiar, always with me, and easy to record.

D-2: Disadvantages of using the mobile phone app include that it required special techniques and used up batteries.

D-3: Requests to improve the app.

D-4: Would like to use personal social media.

Category E: “My eating habits were affected by This project”

E-1: Improved eating habits during this project.

E-2: Improved eating habits even after this project.

Category A: “It was Fun/Interesting to Participate in the Project”

All participants responded that it was interesting to participate in the project, and their positive impressions about the project were included in Category A. They indicated that they enjoyed seeing what they and the other participants ate, taking photos, and reading comments and posts from other participants: “It was really fun to see what others ate, because we don’t have a chance to see this in normal life. We are all college students, but live such different lives” (22-year old).

Category B: “I Learned From Participating in the Project”

Participants indicated that as a result of keeping their own diaries and observing others’ diaries, they began to pay more attention to their eating habits such as how often they ate snacks, skipped breakfast, and ate/drank late at night: “I hadn’t thought about eating, but through this project, I realized how terrible my eating habits are! How do I eat so many sweets in a day?” (21-year old).

Category C: “Participating Caused Some Difficulties”

Some participants wrote that participating was difficult because taking photos, writing comments in their diaries, and following others’ diaries was time consuming and they sometimes forgot to record what they ate. They also wrote that they felt embarrassed to show their diaries to other participants when they did not eat well: “Even though it only took a little time, sometimes it was painful to record my meals in the diary, especially when I needed to do other things, such as study” (20-year old).

Category D: “Advantages/Disadvantages of Using the Smartphone App and Social Media”

Many participants mentioned that the smartphone app and social media were an advantage for health education because they were familiar with smartphone apps, and it matched their busy college lifestyles. They also found that using social media enabled them to communicate with each other, allowing them to exchange healthy eating tips such as how to include more vegetables in their meals. They also felt encouraged by other participants through comments and “good” posts to keep going.

Some participants wrote that participation was troublesome when they were without internet access or their smartphone batteries were low. One participant mentioned that it was a pity that they could not upload the project posts to the social media that they normally used to share content with friends. “To look back at our eating habits, using the smartphone app is a good idea! It is very familiar for us because we are living with it. On social media, we learned with each other. They encouraged me to complete it.” (22-year old). “The app needed some time to get used to. Hopefully, it would be better if the recording method becomes easier.” (19-year old).

Category E: “My Eating Habits Were Affected by this Project”

Some participants wrote that they changed their eating habits as a result of participating and began to eat breakfast every day, choose well-balanced meals with fresh vegetables/fruits, and avoid too many snacks and midnight eating. “After the project, I am trying to eat well-balanced meals as much as possible with many kinds of ingredients not only carbohydrates such as rice balls and bread” (21-year old).

Principal Findings

This study represents an early attempt to explain how interaction using social media in conjunction with dietary diaries on a smartphone app motivates college students to develop interest in their eating habits. This intervention involved a multiplex process; nevertheless, the results show that college students experienced encouragement and developed an interest in their eating habits through interaction on social media when creating dietary diaries on the smartphone app. This methodology has potential as an effective means for youth to have a chance to review their eating habits for promoting healthier lifestyles.

Comparison With Prior Work

Participant selection introduced some bias, resulting in only female participants. Young women who were concerned about their eating habits were more likely to be drawn to this research and to agree to participate. This was further influenced by the recruitment method because the collaborating colleges had departments with more female students. A well-developed recruitment plan is needed to enroll similar numbers of male students in future studies. Moreover, participants’ basic characteristics such as self-reported body mass index, living arrangement, who cooked their meals, and their self-perceived health conditions did not differ from the average status of college students in the central-east area around Tokyo [ 44 ]. Participants’ self-evaluations indicated that their baseline eating habits were not necessarily ideal, which was consistent with survey results from the Kanto Regional Agricultural Administration Office of Japan Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries [ 45 ], which showed that 42.2% of college students who live away from their families do not eat enough vegetables and 71.3% want to improve their eating habits, suggesting the need for a new approach to providing health education on nutrition to this age group.

Verifying the Effectiveness of Dietary Diaries and Communication via Social Media: Increased Consciousness of Eating Habits

Participants’ awareness of their eating habits increased, which was maintained during the project, although decreased slightly at the 1-month follow up. Participants became more interested in and thought critically about their eating habits, especially about eating nutrient-balanced meals and a variety of foods/ingredients. A previous study that incorporated use of an iPad reported that using photos and texts to record eating was an effective way to increase awareness of food intake [ 46 ]. Similarly, in our study, photos on diaries enabled participants to see at a glance how much they ate and how well-balanced the meal was, complementing their limited written descriptions. In addition, describing their thoughts when choosing a meal/drink in their diaries helped them to recognize what factors affect their decision making. Browsing and writing comments on other participants’ diaries further provided an objective/new point of view to look back their own eating habits in comparative ways. In social learning theory, Bandura and Schunk [ 47 ] stated that people learn from each other through observation, imitation, and modeling. Our results support this theory of enhancing the peer-learning process but also suggest two challenges that warrant further examination: (1) how to sustain eating habit awareness/interest for a long period, and (2) how to motivate people to pay attention to the less visible factors such as how meals are processed.

Advantage of Using Social Media and Smartphone Apps to Promote Healthy Eating for College Students

The results showed that social media and smartphone apps have great potential for providing health education to youth because these tools are familiar to college students. Most participants evaluated the project as interesting and fun, and indicated that they discovered many tools for improving their eating habits. All participants also indicated that they felt motivated and encouraged by their fellow participants. This experience of peer support is important for health promotion, especially in this age group, as previously reported in the concept analysis of peer health support [ 48 ]. Wang and colleagues [ 49 , 50 ] developed a participatory action research strategy called “Photovoice” as an effective method for assessing the needs of social minorities. College students may similarly be seen as a group in need of help, given their lack of interest in and awareness of healthier eating habits. We suggest an approach such as “Photovoice-Online” using social media via smartphones to overcome this disadvantage, which requires participants to meet in person to discuss the problems with each other. Further research is needed to analyze the group dynamics of social media communication depending on specific group characteristics.

When social media is used in research, ethical considerations are an important concern. In particular, privacy and confidentiality safeguards are imperative when adopting social media for use in research. Holmberg et al [ 51 ] conducted a study about social media usage of adolescent patients with obesity, stating that social media could be a source for health inspiration, information, and support, but requires competencies. In this study, we adopted social media to encourage college students to be more conscious in their eating habits; however, in the setting of health education, more examination is needed to teach college students health literacy to use social media.

A few participants mentioned that it took time for them to record their meal/drink and communicate with others. Smartphone apps, which are developed and improved at a rapid pace, are already offering photo-based nutrient information, which will make the dietary diary recording process easier and more accurate. As desirable tools for college students, it would be preferable that more complementary smartphone apps including such high-level technologies would be available in the near future.

Limitations

This study has some limitations. As mentioned earlier, all participants in the study were young women, who are considered to be more conscious of their eating habits than young men. In addition, the study sample had a limited number of participants. Furthermore, as Deliens et al [ 7 ] noted, college students’ eating habits are influenced by various factors such as social networks and physical/macro environments. As we were focused on the comparison with national Japanese results, we did not use the established questionnaires for international dietary assessment. Therefore, our results are not generalizable to larger populations. This intervention method adopted a multiplex process; thus, we could not analyze exactly which factors affected participants and to what extent. Finally, we did not examine participants’ group dynamics, which may have also influenced the results.

This research explores how interactions through social media used in conjunction with smartphone apps of dietary diaries can motivate college students to develop an interest in healthier eating habits. Through interactions on social media when creating dietary diaries on a smartphone app, college students experienced encouragement and developed an interest in their eating. This methodology, which embraces peer education and peer support, holds promise for the future. A closer examination of group dynamics associated with participant interactions and longer-term experiments to develop sustainable motivation are needed to further advance this field of research.

Acknowledgments

We would like to express our appreciation to all the participants, and to asken Inc, which generously let us use their smartphone app and their images for our research. We are grateful to Dr Fumiko Miyaji and Professor Akiko Sasaki for their contributions. This research was supported by grants from the Japan Society for Promoting Science Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, Grant No 26893283 (2014-2017) and 17K12549 (2017-2020).

Authors' Contributions: MW contributed to the conception and design of this study, performed the statistical/qualitative analysis, and drafted the manuscript. EK instructively engaged in data analysis with MW. EK and YS critically reviewed the manuscript and supervised the whole study process. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

Healthy Habits, Healthy Life

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Lauren Storm, MS2, University of Mississippi School of Medicine

During my M1 year, I received an interesting observation from a friend at the gym. As we were warming up for our workout that day, Becca asked me how school was going. “It’s going great,” I answered. “But I feel like there’s always more to study ... always more to work on ... always more to get involved in.” I remember her response clearly, “You know, that’s in all aspects of life. There will always be more you can do.”

Establishing healthy habits early in my M1 year has proven crucial for my success. I set an expectation to exercise three to five times a week, eat many well-balanced meals to fuel my brain and keep my spiritual health a daily priority. I realized that to do this, I’d have to stay up later some nights to pack a change of clothes and a well-prepared meal for lunch the next day or sacrifice some sleep to carve out extra quiet time. Everyone has different pieces to their physical, mental and spiritual health puzzle, but those three have worked for me.

As medical students, we are constantly thinking about our futures. But seldom do we think about habits to practice in school that will serve us well in our future roles as physicians; in fact, our dedication to school can become toxic if we let it! For a student who understands that boundaries and priorities must work together, school can be a successful, enjoyable experience.

During a busy week of classes or a study-filled test block, my strategic and intentional, “Yes’s” and “No’s” serve as boundaries for me. Otherwise, I find myself completely exhausted and run down, even if my day or week was filled with great “Yes’s.” And while I love research and learning, sometimes going to the gym for an hour or spending extra time with my husband is more beneficial to me than adding an extra hour of studying or getting involved with another research project.

There’s no perfect formula for every person, and truly, a formula that works for me one week may not work the next week. But my foundation of healthy habits allows me to adapt to whatever each new day, week or month may bring. In other words, balancing life with work will change depending on your stage of training, but the foundation that you set will remain the same. Establishing healthy habits early will allow you to adjust during demanding periods of work and training without forfeiting life outside of it. After all, I can be the best version of myself thanks to those ‘outside’ things.

I will be forever grateful for Becca’s observation in the gym that day — she had no idea that her words would help me navigate the ups and downs of medical school. The things that make me, me, open the door for success throughout medical school, and will allow me to be the best physician I can be, for the sake of every one of my future patients.

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Campus & Community

Celebrating family firsts and resourcefulness in the Class of 2024

Lynn larabi, crystal marshall, and jason chu all entered penn as first-generation college undergraduates and the children of immigrants and pursued different paths: political science, film, and finance and accounting..

Lynn Larabi recalls that growing up in Northeast Philadelphia some of her earliest school memories involved students at the local library looking over her writing assignments, at her parents’ request. A few years later, her mother—who works at the local elementary school—paid the favor forward by offering Larabi’s help with homework to younger students. Larabi says this emphasized for her the cyclical nature of public service and community involvement.

“I’ve developed a passion for education policy and a passion for workforce development because you really see that spaces like libraries and community centers are needed for families like my own,” she says, in reference to the Free Library of Philadelphia, considering her parents—immigrants from Morocco—faced a language barrier and didn’t attend college. Larabi, a fourth-year student in the College of Arts and Sciences , channeled these passions into a political science major, public service internships, and community engagement.

She also says that observing her father’s experiences as a taxi driver has shaped her views of labor rights. Abderrahim Larabi says he has kept his “Penn Dad” hat in his car for the past four years, and that he’s a lucky dad to have her as his daughter.

“She works hard,” he says, saying she made his dreams of higher education and community impact come true. “In her, I see myself. She is my eyes. What she’s going through, it’s like I am going through.”

Larabi is among the one-in-five members of Class of 2024 who are first-generation college students, according to Penn First Plus . The resource hub uses this term for students whose parents or guardians did not complete a bachelor’s degree.

First-generation students at Penn have a diversity of interests and accomplishments, but from childhood through university they share some attributes and experiences: Resourcefulness in seeking out information, the navigation of unspoken social norms and the implications of generational wealth and, especially in the case of second-generation immigrants, self-imposed pressure to make the most of opportunities their parents provided.

Those in the Class of 2024 navigated all this on top of the unusual experience of beginning college remotely, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re a population that is sprinkled everywhere. We all have different talents, different skills,” says Larabi, who, as president of the First-Generation/Low-Income Dean’s Advisory Board , surveyed students involved in athletics, Greek life, music, and more. “It’s an identity that you honor because it is a triumph to be at an institution like Penn as a first-generation student, and it’s up to us to have a community and have a support system.”

Her resilience as a first-generation student gave her the guts to start a pop-rock band, Menagerie . She says starting it alongside a group of friends has allowed her to show the Penn community that students of a variety of musical backgrounds and experiences can unite under a shared desire to perform and produce music.

Larabi says one of her favorite experiences at Penn has been her involvement in Ase Academy , a mentorship group for Black middle and high school students from West Philadelphia. “I am one of two mentors from Philly who is involved in this program, and that’s important to me because it’s almost like getting a chance to serve as a mirror to versions of my younger self that I didn’t have,” she says.

Larabi says she always believed in public service and the power of policy to enact change. She learned about the importance of local government interning at the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs , saw how to uplift youth as a United Nations Foundation intern, and saw her faith in public service increase serving as a campaign fellow for U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo of Rhode Island, also a child of African immigrants.

One of nine Thouron Scholars , Larabi is headed to the University of Oxford to pursue a master’s degree in evidence-based social intervention and policy evaluation.

Studying representation in films and festivals

As a communication major with a minor in cinema and media studies, Crystal Marshall says she began to have questions in film classes about who she was watching and why. Taking a course her second year on Black joy—with Chaz Antoine Barracks, an Annenberg School for Communication postdoctoral fellow at the time—provided further direction.

For the final paper for an independent study her third year, supervised by former Annenberg postdoctoral fellow Perry B. Johnson and funded by the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships , Marshall examined the film canon, which she describes as a “subset of films people expect you to see to give yourself a degree of credibility.” Looking at lists from entertainment outlets, she found “there were very few films by women, very few films by women of color, and almost no films by Black women, so that was very concerning to me.”

She says going to the Cannes Film Festival last summer changed her life and she subsequently “went down a film festival rabbit hole,” volunteering at BlackStar Film Festival in Philadelphia and attending the Philadelphia Film Festival. She was co-director for this year’s Bifocal Film Festival, Penn’s first student-led film festival, and is co-president of Monolith Arts Collective, a group dedicated to showcasing the work of Black artists in West Philadelphia.

Marshall, who is a lso a Thouron Scholar , will pursue a master’s degree in film programming and curating at the University of London, Birbek. She says she also hopes to continue screenwriting.

With parents who immigrated from Jamaica and didn’t go to college, Marshall, who is from Miami Gardens, Florida, says it was a big deal when she applied for the Thouron Award. She says being a first-generation student comes with a great deal of self-imposed pressure and she felt a sense of, “What did my parents come to this country for if I wasn’t going to go to college and be successful?”

Expressing his pride, her father, Leroy Marshall says, “she has strength and perseverance and here she is.” Seeing her matriculate, he says, “is remarkable.”

“UPenn was the last letter she got in that mail, and everybody was just screaming; we were jumping, and we were shouting. It was great,” recalls her mother, Claudett Marshall. She says at the time she wondered, “Can Crystal manage by herself? How is it going to work?”

Marshall has been working in the Penn First Plus office since the fall of her second year and says she didn’t realize the expansiveness of the first-generation and limited-income (FGLI) identity until working there. “FGLI is something that’s an applicable term even outside of the college setting because it is a big reality for people entering tight-knit industries like entertainment in particular,” she says, noting the industry is also competitive and full of people whose parents worked in entertainment.

First-generation advocacy and research

Jason Chu says a lot of people in his hometown of Sachse, Texas, never left the state, that there was the precedent of going to the local community college and getting a job in the Dallas area. But Chu says going to accounting competitions in high school and seeing students from other schools made him realize he should start looking outwards.

“When I was a sophomore, a senior at my school had gotten into Penn, and he was the first person who had gotten into an Ivy in a while, so that was kind of a mind-blowing moment,” says Chu, a Wharton School student with concentrations in finance and accounting. He searched for top business schools and says he also realized that Penn had a strong FGLI community with a lot of resources.

Chu, who is headed into investment banking in San Francisco after graduation, became a mentee in Penn First Plus’s Pre-First Year Program, Wharton’s Successful Transition & Empowerment Program , and the PEER Mentoring Program , helping Asian and Pacific-Islander students adjust to life at Penn. He went on to join the Wharton Undergraduate Society of Accounting, Wharton Asia Exchange, and Phi Chi Theta, a business fraternity.

Chu says he is passionate about sharing the first-generation experience and says peers may not understand his experience of working a job every semester—and sometimes multiple jobs—to pay rent and expenses.

Having been on the receiving end of help for a while, he says that once he could give back he sought out first-generation spaces. He became involved with Seven|Eight , a Penn community for first-generation Asian American and Pacific Islander students, and 1vyG, the country’s largest summit for FGLI students. Penn hosted the conference last year.

Chu’s honors thesis focuses on how first-generation students fare in the workplace after graduating. “First-generation students are a very understudied area in academia,” Chu says. “A lot of the research is centered around how these students do transitioning into college and how they do getting a job, but there’s kind of a drop-off in understanding how they do long-term, which was my goal.”

He says of his own experience, “I think being a first-generation student at Penn specifically, at an elite institution, is coming to realize the privilege that a person holds. I think coming to Penn I realized how much more power I have relative to the people I grew up with, and I’m trying to understand the best way to harness that toward helping the same people.”

His father, Minh Chu, says he always encouraged his children to at least get a four-year degree, that it will help them down the line and make looking for a job easier. He and Jason’s mother, Jade Tiuong, immigrated from Vietnam. They told Jason they would try to support him the best they could and are “very, very, very happy that four years passed and he’s about to graduate. He has grown so much, and I’m very proud,” Minh Chu says.

Class of 2025 relishes time together at Hey Day

Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences

Picturing artistic pursuits

Hundreds of undergraduates take classes in the fine arts each semester, among them painting and drawing, ceramics and sculpture, printmaking and animation, photography and videography. The courses, through the School of Arts & Sciences and the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, give students the opportunity to immerse themselves in an art form in a collaborative way.

Penn celebrates operation and benefits of largest solar power project in Pennsylvania

Solar production has begun at the Great Cove I and II facilities in central Pennsylvania, the equivalent of powering 70% of the electricity demand from Penn’s academic campus and health system in the Philadelphia area.

Education, Business, & Law

Investing in future teachers and educational leaders

The Empowerment Through Education Scholarship Program at Penn’s Graduate School of Education is helping to prepare and retain teachers and educational leaders.

‘The Illuminated Body’ fuses color, light, and sound

A new Arthur Ross Gallery exhibition of work by artist Barbara Earl Thomas features cut-paper portraits reminiscent of stained glass and an immersive installation constructed with intricately cut material lit from behind.

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, what's the life of a pre-med student like.

I'm considering going down the pre-med path, but I'm curious about the life of a pre-med student. Can any current pre-med students share their experiences or challenges they've faced during their undergrad?

As someone familiar with the pre-med pathway, I can provide you with a general overview of a typical pre-med student's life. Keep in mind that every pre-med student's experience varies depending on the university, time management skills, and personal goals.

1. Coursework: The pre-med curriculum can be quite challenging, and students typically take a mix of science and non-science courses each semester. You'll likely have a rigorous schedule filled with biology, chemistry, physics, math, and various electives. Balancing these demanding courses requires strong time management and study habits, as well as adaptability to different teaching styles.

2. Research: Many pre-med students get involved in research to learn more about a specific field, gain valuable lab skills, and strengthen their medical school applications. This experience can expose you to cutting-edge scientific discoveries and give you the opportunity to work closely with professors or other professionals.

3. Volunteering and clinical experiences: It's essential for pre-med students to volunteer or shadow healthcare professionals to gain exposure to the realities of working in healthcare. This can include volunteering at hospitals, clinics, or local non-profits. These experiences help develop your understanding of the medical profession and demonstrate your commitment to helping others.

4. Extracurricular activities: Participating in clubs, sports, and organizations not only allows you to explore your interests but also can help develop valuable leadership and teamwork skills. It's vital to find a balance between academics and extracurriculars to maintain a well-rounded college experience.

5. Preparing for the MCAT: The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a demanding exam that assesses your scientific knowledge, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. The preparation process can be rigorous, with many students dedicating months of study, using resources like prep courses, books, and practice exams.

6. Social life and self-care: Finally, while pre-med students do have a lot of responsibilities, it's important to maintain a healthy social life and prioritize self-care. This can include spending time with friends, joining clubs focused on your non-academic interests, or participating in stress-relieving activities like exercise or meditation.

The life of a pre-med student can be challenging, but it can also be incredibly rewarding as you develop strong academic and interpersonal skills, contribute to scholarly research, and gain meaningful experiences that prepare you for a career in healthcare. Stay focused, prioritize your well-being, and remember to enjoy the journey. Good luck!

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