The dynamics of eating behaviors and eating environment in college students: discrepancies between app-tracked dietary intake and self-perceived food consumption.

Abstract

Background: People's eating behaviors are affected by their eating environment, particularly who they eat with and where they eat. This relationship is more pronounced in young adults whose behaviors are more likely to be influenced by their environment, but data were limited from this population. This study aims to examine the relationship between dietary intake and eating environment in young adults, and to compare dietary intake logged in a mobile app with self-perceived food consumption reported in daily surveys.

Methods: A total of 41 American college students aged 18 to 25 years, from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, participated. They logged dietary intake using Nutritionix, a dietary tracking app, and completed daily surveys documenting their eating behaviors, environment, and mood and stress levels. Over 4 weeks, 3,168 eating occasions were logged. Data were analyzed using multilevel mixed-effect models.

Results: App data showed participants consumed more calories when eating with two or more companions and in formal dining settings compared to eating alone or at home. Conversely, participants reported that they ate less in these social and formal settings in daily surveys. Significant gender differences were observed with males consuming more calories in social settings and females underreporting intake in formal dining environments. Other factors affecting eating behaviors included body mass index (BMI), mood, and stress levels.

Conclusions: This study quantifies the relationship between dietary intake and eating environment using data from a mobile app and daily surveys. It highlights the significant impact of individual, interpersonal, and environmental factors on young adults' dietary behaviors, and underscores the need for personalized and context-sensitive interventions. Attention should be given to discrepancies between app-logged and survey-reported dietary intake when designing dietary interventions.