STRIDE Science: Student Research Team Evaluates Campus Dining Options

There are healthy dining options available on Cal Poly’s campus for students who are inclined to find them, according to findings from a study by STRIDE faculty members and their student assistants. Campus food courts have more healthy options than sit-down restaurants at Cal Poly, researchers also found.

STRIDE affiliates Marilyn Tseng, a kinesiology professor, and Dawn Neill, an anthropology professor, worked with four undergraduate students to evaluate the nutrition environment on campus and in San Luis Obispo, looking specifically at how conducive it is to healthy eating. 

“If students want to eat healthy, they can do it,” Tseng said. “You just have to know where to go to make the right choices.”

Using the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey (NEMS), the researchers surveyed the 18 eateries on campus as well as 37 locations in San Luis Obispo. NEMS focuses on the availability, affordability and quality of healthful food choice. 

Cal Poly food courts, such as The Avenue, scored much better than sit-down restaurants on campus and convenience stores in San Luis Obispo. The team’s complete results were published in the Center for Disease Control’s online journal, Preventing Chronic Disease.

“Many of the lower scores were seen in venues that offered fewer healthy sides and beverages, so an increase in these would be beneficial to our campus environment,” said Kelsey Degreef, a nutrition major who assisted Tseng and Neill with the research.

The researchers hope that their findings will encourage discussion about providing additional healthy options on campus for students. This could include adding signage and changing pricing to encourage healthy choices. Offering nutritional information and reducing portion sizes could also help.