College Honors Program

The Dietary Patterns of Fourth-Year Students at the College of the Holy Cross

Date of Creation

5-2020

Document Type

Campus Access Only

First Advisor

Daina Cheyenne Harvey

Abstract

The college years are commonly marked as a period of time in which students have to learn how to live independently for the first time by formulating new routines and habits such as making daily food choices. The College of the Holy Cross, a private Jesuit college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, offers first, second, and third-year students a meal plan providing unlimited access into Kimball, the main dining hall on campus. Additionally, 425 dining dollars are loaded onto student identification cards that can be used at any of the fast food restaurants and/or the convenience store on campus. Contrastingly, the fourth-year students live in apartments or off-campus houses, so they are on a separate meal plan that limits their access into Kimball to 50 visits but increases their dining dollars to $975. They are therefore responsible for buying their own groceries and cooking meals even though many have limited time and no access to cars. To limit barriers to nutritional eating, a weekly farmers’ market was brought to campus, where students could use dining dollars to buy fresh produce. In a Food and Drink class, students’ eating habits and mindfulness of nutrition were also observed, while they kept food journals for two weeks and wrote reflective essays about the experience. Changes in food choices and eating habits resulting from the farmers’ market and the food journals were analyzed from a series of surveys, interviews, and essays. Conclusions about improving access to healthier food options on campus are provided.

Comments

First Reader: John Axelson

Second Reader: Michelle Mondoux

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