A Pilot Study on RTE Food Purchasing and Food-Related Behaviors of College Students in an Urbanized Area

Ready-to-eat (RTE) food is widely used, and younger age groups are increasingly purchasing these items. This study investigated college students' consumption of RTE foods and food-related behaviors such as dietary habits, lifestyle, eating out behaviors, and demographic characteristics. We used quantitative methods to gather data. A questionnaire was developed from previous studies and was self-administered to college students in Daejeon, Republic of Korea. Descriptive analysis, ANOVA, and Chi-square tests were conducted to investigate RTE food consumption behaviors and food-related lifestyle factors. A total of 285 data points was entered for analysis. This study found that BMI and gender significantly impacted dietary habits. Residence type and gender showed significant effects on dining out partners. Furthermore, results showed the time of snack consumption and RTE food were similar, suggesting that a snack was replacing college students' meals or that they might consider RTE food as a snack, or vice versa. A nutrition intervention program for college students should be implemented to encourage a healthy diet.