On-campus food purchasing behaviours and satisfaction of Australian university students

Many university students have unhealthy dietary intake. The food environment on university campuses is a potentially important contributor to students' diet. This study aimed to describe on-campus food purchasing behaviours; satisfaction with the cost and availability of foods and beverages on-campus; and preferences for the on-campus food environment, in a sample of Australian university students.

An online cross-sectional survey of 409 students at the University of Newcastle, Australia was conducted in 2017-2018. The survey assessed on-campus purchasing behaviours (frequency of purchase and expenditure), satisfaction with the cost and availability of foods, preferences for the on-campus food environment, and socio-demographics (eg age, domestic/international student). Results are reported as basic descriptive statistics.

The majority of students (94%) purchased food or beverages on-campus, with 59% purchasing at least once per week. Satisfaction with the availability of foods was low (35.8% satisfied with the types of main meals available, and 48.5% for snacks); however, 72.8% were satisfied with types of beverages available. The majority of students were not satisfied with the cost of food and beverages (<40%). The top-rated preferences for changes to the on-campus food environment were healthier options, higher quality food, and cheaper food.

Overall, the findings demonstrate strong support from students for healthier and cheaper food to be made available on-campus. SO WHAT?: There are two main factors of concern with regard to university food environments; the healthiness of food and beverage options and their cost. These should be key considerations of any future strategies aiming to improve university food environments.