Obesity and lifestyle in U.S. college students related to living arrangements

The purpose of this paper is to determine if living arrangements influence dietary variety and other health behaviors among American college students. A generalized linear model was used to assess differences between students in various living arrangements. Results showed that off-campus students were more likely to be overweight/obese, consume more alcohol, and smoke than those who lived on-campus or with parents. Compared to students who lived off-campus, those who lived on-campus consumed a larger variety of fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. Those who lived off-campus consumed less variety of grains compared to those who lived with parents. There were no significant differences in variety of meat, meat alternatives, or snacks between the three groups. To prevent future chronic diseases, health educators should target off-campus students to improve dietary and lifestyle behaviors.