Assessing diet in a university student population: a longitudinal food card transaction data approach.

ABSTRACT: Starting university is an important time with respect to dietary changes. This study reports a novel approach to assessing student diet by utilising student-level food transaction data to explore dietary patterns. First-year students living in catered accommodation at the University of Leeds (UK) received pre-credited food cards for use in university catering facilities. Food card transaction data were obtained for semester 1, 2016 and linked with student age and sex. k-Means cluster analysis was applied to the transaction data to identify clusters of food purchasing behaviours. Differences in demographic and behavioural characteristics across clusters were examined using χ2 tests. The semester was divided into three time periods to explore longitudinal changes in purchasing patterns. Seve

SUBMITTER: Morris MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7512144 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature