Background: College students have identified frequent unhealthy snacking from vending machines as influencing their dietary intake and weight status. However, research on associations between vending usage and weight status is lacking. Objectives: 1.) Compare college students’ demographic characteristics by frequency of vending machine usage (FVU) and body mass index (BMI). 2.) Determine associations between FVU and BMI levels among college students. Methods: Using a cross-sectional study design, a convenience sample of college students (n=110) completed an online survey providing demographics, height and weight, and FVU – categorized as “none” (never or rarely), “low” (less than once per month, or “high” (once per month or more). Demographics were analyzed using descriptive statistics with comparisons by FVU and BMI levels. Associations between FVU and BMI levels, alone and controlling for sex and race/ethnicity, were tested using a proportional odds logistic model. Results: The majority of participants were in the lowest FVU (50%) and normal BMI (56%; M=24.2 kg/m2) levels. BMI was significantly different by FVU levels (p=.012). Logistic regression indicated the highest FVU category was associated with a 4.6 times greater odds of being overweight or obese (p=0.001). Conclusion: This study described a significant relationship between higher levels of FVU and higher levels of BMI among college students. This formative evidence can inform future vending interventions in this population.
Published in | International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences (Volume 7, Issue 2) |
DOI | 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180702.11 |
Page(s) | 39-46 |
Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2018. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Vending Machine Usage, Weight Status, College Students
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APA Style
Morgan Faulk Sowers, Sarah Colby, Wenjun Zhou, Agricola Odoi, Elizabeth Anderson Steeves, et al. (2018). Frequency of Vending Machine Usage as a Predictor of Weight Status Among College Students. International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences, 7(2), 39-46. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180702.11
ACS Style
Morgan Faulk Sowers; Sarah Colby; Wenjun Zhou; Agricola Odoi; Elizabeth Anderson Steeves, et al. Frequency of Vending Machine Usage as a Predictor of Weight Status Among College Students. Int. J. Nutr. Food Sci. 2018, 7(2), 39-46. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180702.11
AMA Style
Morgan Faulk Sowers, Sarah Colby, Wenjun Zhou, Agricola Odoi, Elizabeth Anderson Steeves, et al. Frequency of Vending Machine Usage as a Predictor of Weight Status Among College Students. Int J Nutr Food Sci. 2018;7(2):39-46. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180702.11
@article{10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180702.11, author = {Morgan Faulk Sowers and Sarah Colby and Wenjun Zhou and Agricola Odoi and Elizabeth Anderson Steeves and Katie Kavanagh}, title = {Frequency of Vending Machine Usage as a Predictor of Weight Status Among College Students}, journal = {International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences}, volume = {7}, number = {2}, pages = {39-46}, doi = {10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180702.11}, url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180702.11}, eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijnfs.20180702.11}, abstract = {Background: College students have identified frequent unhealthy snacking from vending machines as influencing their dietary intake and weight status. However, research on associations between vending usage and weight status is lacking. Objectives: 1.) Compare college students’ demographic characteristics by frequency of vending machine usage (FVU) and body mass index (BMI). 2.) Determine associations between FVU and BMI levels among college students. Methods: Using a cross-sectional study design, a convenience sample of college students (n=110) completed an online survey providing demographics, height and weight, and FVU – categorized as “none” (never or rarely), “low” (less than once per month, or “high” (once per month or more). Demographics were analyzed using descriptive statistics with comparisons by FVU and BMI levels. Associations between FVU and BMI levels, alone and controlling for sex and race/ethnicity, were tested using a proportional odds logistic model. Results: The majority of participants were in the lowest FVU (50%) and normal BMI (56%; M=24.2 kg/m2) levels. BMI was significantly different by FVU levels (p=.012). Logistic regression indicated the highest FVU category was associated with a 4.6 times greater odds of being overweight or obese (p=0.001). Conclusion: This study described a significant relationship between higher levels of FVU and higher levels of BMI among college students. This formative evidence can inform future vending interventions in this population.}, year = {2018} }
TY - JOUR T1 - Frequency of Vending Machine Usage as a Predictor of Weight Status Among College Students AU - Morgan Faulk Sowers AU - Sarah Colby AU - Wenjun Zhou AU - Agricola Odoi AU - Elizabeth Anderson Steeves AU - Katie Kavanagh Y1 - 2018/02/12 PY - 2018 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180702.11 DO - 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180702.11 T2 - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences JF - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences JO - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences SP - 39 EP - 46 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2327-2716 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180702.11 AB - Background: College students have identified frequent unhealthy snacking from vending machines as influencing their dietary intake and weight status. However, research on associations between vending usage and weight status is lacking. Objectives: 1.) Compare college students’ demographic characteristics by frequency of vending machine usage (FVU) and body mass index (BMI). 2.) Determine associations between FVU and BMI levels among college students. Methods: Using a cross-sectional study design, a convenience sample of college students (n=110) completed an online survey providing demographics, height and weight, and FVU – categorized as “none” (never or rarely), “low” (less than once per month, or “high” (once per month or more). Demographics were analyzed using descriptive statistics with comparisons by FVU and BMI levels. Associations between FVU and BMI levels, alone and controlling for sex and race/ethnicity, were tested using a proportional odds logistic model. Results: The majority of participants were in the lowest FVU (50%) and normal BMI (56%; M=24.2 kg/m2) levels. BMI was significantly different by FVU levels (p=.012). Logistic regression indicated the highest FVU category was associated with a 4.6 times greater odds of being overweight or obese (p=0.001). Conclusion: This study described a significant relationship between higher levels of FVU and higher levels of BMI among college students. This formative evidence can inform future vending interventions in this population. VL - 7 IS - 2 ER -