Taylor Palm

Behavioral Focused Lesson- Life stage Developmental Task

College is a time of uncertainty, independence and new beginnings. While new friends, a
new home and new classes take the forefront of the overwhelming nature of college life, one
thing that can fall to the background is nutrition. In order to best approach nutrition education for
the college-aged population of 18-24 year olds, it is important to understand the settings they can
best be reached, their interests, the developmental tasks and finally the nutritional issues specific
to this audience.
When it comes to settings, there are a few places that a college aged population may
respond to. There is the traditional classroom setting which they are already accustomed to. This
classroom could be a seminar on nutrition for first year students, a presentation at orientation or
an elective class. It could also be an event presentation in the common areas for residence halls.
This population could also be reached in a point of purchase situation, presenting nutrition
information right before or during their trip to the dining hall through flyers, signs, or interactive
informational booths. Many college campuses also have community kitchens where food
demonstrations on how to prepare a healthy meal could take place. Finally, 18-24 year olds are
constantly on social media. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter are all fantastic mediums
to post nutrition information that can be viewed anytime on their phones or laptops.
Interests of this population are extremely varied depending on their location, gender,
ethnicities, etc. There are however, some key interests that many people within this population
will relate to. A lot of this population is interested in themselves: their appearance, their goals,
their friends, and their hobbies. Nutrition education must be geared to the individual. For
appearance, the fear of the Freshman 15 and gaining weight is a concern for many students,
this is a great spot to start for any lesson. Many college students are interested in their schools,
with a lot of pride for the institution they are attending. If nutrition education lessons come with
a prize, a reward with school gear could be very effective. Another interest is pop culture. 18-24
year olds are very connected to their social media and whats trendy. To stay on top of what will
peak their interests, educators must stay on top of trends.
While most college-aged students are almost or completely done physically growing, this
audience is at their prime for emotional development. Major changes such as going off to school
can effect and change every aspect of life including dietary patterns (McGuire & Beerman,
2011). College takes place during emerging adulthood where developmental tasks revolve

around learning skills associated with their new independence. Some tasks they must learn are:
budgeting, shopping for healthy foods, identifying nutritious options on the run and in the dining
halls, basic culinary skills to prepare their own foods and portioning proper serving sizes in
dining halls. Time management is also an important task. They must find time to eat and stay
active while staying up on school work. Finally, they must be more aware of their intake and
avoid negative influences on their food choices. This is extremely important because students
may alter their eating habits due to what their friends are eating in the dining halls. Food is
often a social experience, they may be influenced to go out to eat more or choose unhealthier
options. (Holli & Beto, 2014) Students are at an extremely malleable point in their lives and their
achievement of these developmental tasks in their newly found independence can have lasting
effects.
There are some very important nutritional issues specific to the college aged population.
These issues come from within, from others and from their environment. (Greaney, Less, White
et al., 2009) Many college students find money to be a major concern. Purchasing cheap foods
normally means purchasing unhealthy foods. This population has to be informed how to do
healthy on a budget. Another nutritional issue is going from home cooked meals to buffet style
meals in dining halls. Those who dislike the taste of dining hall food or are in a pinch for time
may resort to energy-dense pizza or ramen noodles. Dining halls can also be overwhelming,
leaving students wanting to fill their plates with everything in sight. Greaney et al. (2009) found
that students may have trouble with temptation and lack of discipline in such an environment
making portion control an important lesson. Students are also at the mercy of their class
schedule, finding time to sit and eat a meal can be difficult. They may opt for to-go foods that are
of little nutritional value. Healthy food on the run needs to be identified. Another issue comes
from living arrangements. Those in dorm rooms may only have access to a microwave, limiting
what they can make. Even those with full kitchens may have relied on their parents cooking and
never learned how to cook themselves. A final nutritional issue in college is emphasis on
partying as a part of the social scene. Excess alcohol and consumption of high caloric foods
while out on a weekly basis can be an issue to weight management in college years.
References
Greaney M.L., Less F.D., White A.A., Dayton S.F., Riebe D., Blissmer B., Shoff S., Walsh J.R.,

Greene G.W. (2009) College Students Barriers and Enablers for Healthful Weight
Management: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 41(4),
281-286.
Holli B., Beto J. (2014) Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills for Dietetics
Professionals (6th ed.). New York, NY: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
McGuire M., Beerman K.A. (2011) Nutritional Sciences: From Fundamentals to Food (2nd ed.).
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.