Survey of Nutrition Knowledge, Attitudes, and Preferred Informational Sources among Students at a Southwestern University in the United States: A Brief Report

The purpose of this study was to investigate nutrition perspectives, basic nutrition knowledge, and preferred sources of nutrition information among students at a southwestern university in the US. An original online survey was used to evaluate common sources of nutrition information, factors viewed as comprising a healthy dietary pattern, and attitudes toward nutrition information and recommendations. A total of 316 participants completed the survey. Prioritizing fruits and vegetables was the most common response (97%) for characterizing healthy eating. When asked which factors characterize a non-healthy pattern of eating, eating sweets was the top response (83%). The most common sources of nutrition information reported were word of mouth/friends and family (56%), followed by social media (45%). The majority felt that nutrition recommendations are constantly changing (78%) and that nutrition information is confusing (55%). Our data indicate that most students rely primarily on informal sources of nutrition information. However, our preliminary data also suggest that many students have a fair understanding of basic principles of healthy eating. More research in a broader and more diverse sample is needed to validate these findings.