On-campus food purchasing behaviours and satisfaction of Australian university students

ISSUE ADDRESSED Many university students have unhealthy dietary intake. The food environment on university campuses is a potentially important contributor to students' diet. This study aimed to describe on-campus food purchasing behaviours; satisfaction with the cost and availability of foods and beverages on-campus; and preferences for the on-campus food environment, in a sample of Australian university students. METHODS An online cross-sectional survey of 409 students at the University of Newcastle, Australia was conducted in 2017-2018. The survey assessed on-campus purchasing behaviours (frequency of purchase and expenditure), satisfaction with the cost and availability of foods, preferences for the on-campus food environment, and socio-demographics (eg age, domestic/international student). Results are reported as basic descriptive statistics. RESULTS The majority of students (94%) purchased food or beverages on-campus, with 59% purchasing at least once per week. Satisfaction with the availability of foods was low (35.8% satisfied with the types of main meals available, and 48.5% for snacks); however, 72.8% were satisfied with types of beverages available. The majority of students were not satisfied with the cost of food and beverages (<40%). The top-rated preferences for changes to the on-campus food environment were healthier options, higher quality food, and cheaper food. CONCLUSION Overall, the findings demonstrate strong support from students for healthier and cheaper food to be made available on-campus. SO WHAT?: There are two main factors of concern with regard to university food environments; the healthiness of food and beverage options and their cost. These should be key considerations of any future strategies aiming to improve university food environments.