University food environment: characterization and changes from 2011 to 2016 in a Brazilian public university

ABSTRACT Objective To describe the food environment of a public university located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and to review the changes that occurred between the years 2011 and 2016. Methods Time trend study (through repeated cross-sectional studies) of the sale of food, culinary preparations and beverages in the University Campus establishments in 2011, 2012 and 2016. Variables regarding the description of the establishments and the offer, price and advertising of food, beverages and culinary preparations were assessed through a checklist. Comparisons between establishments in each year and the analysis of such comparison changes during the period were performed by assessing the difference between absolute and relative values observed in each year. Results Increased number of establishments available, good convenience and financial accessibility were observed. There was a relative disadvantage in the availability of fresh or minimally processed foods and culinary preparations; a predominance of advertising of ultra-processed foods; and lack of nutritional information of culinary preparations. The predominance of establishments selling snacks and candies increased over the years. Conclusion In the period studied, the university food environment did not favor healthy food choices.

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Consumption, Attitudes, and Trends of Vending Machine Foods at a University Campus: A Cross-Sectional Study

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods10092122 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 2122

Author(s):

Hayder Hasan ◽

Moez Al-Islam E. Faris ◽

Maysm N. Mohamad ◽

Ayesha S. Al Dhaheri ◽

Mona Hashim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Choices ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

University Campus ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Web Based ◽

Vending Machines ◽

The University ◽

University Setting

Vending machines (VMs) have been identified as an obesogenic factor, offering mainly energy-dense and nutrient-poor foods, with limited healthy options available. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess consumption trends and attitude toward vending machine (VM) foods in a university setting. A web-based survey was conducted among 1250 students and staff. Most participants reported weight gain (43.4%) and poorer food choices (53.4%) since joining the university. Participants described VM foods as expensive (53.7%) and lacking variety (34.3%). Over 81% demanded the availability of healthier options. About 75% of participants were VMs users. The most frequently purchased VM items were water, chocolate, and chips. Males reported consuming nuts, soda, iced tea, and energy drinks more frequently than females (p < 0.005). The main reasons for using the VM were hunger and lack of time. Over 40% nominated fresh fruits, baked chips, sandwiches, and dry roasted nuts to be provided in the VMs as healthier food options. Males and those responsible for buying their own food were more likely to select healthier options (p = 0.001). Findings can be used to inform stakeholders of current vending behaviors and to plan tailored interventions to improve the nutritional quality of vended items and promote healthier food choices.

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Views and attitudes of university students in Upper Egypt towards youth health centers

Journal of Egyptian Public Health Association ◽

10.1186/s42506-020-00046-x ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 95 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Mohamed M. Abd El-Mawgod ◽

Shimaa A. Elghazally ◽

Heba M. Mohammed ◽

Mariam Roshdy Elkayat ◽

Doaa M. M. Osman

Keyword(s):

University Students ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Health Needs ◽

University Campus ◽

Youth Health ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Upper Egypt ◽

Sexually Transmitted ◽

Laboratory Services ◽

The University

Abstract Background A healthy youth is considered the major human resource for any country development. They are suffering from unmet health needs. Considering these needs and their attitude towards the use of youth health center (YHC) services would help to improve both the quality and quantity of these services. Objectives To identify the students’ perceived health needs and their attitude towards use of the YHCs in Assiut University campus, Upper Egypt a cross-sectional study was conducted among 305 randomly selected university students. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Results The majority of the students (80%) said that youth have special health needs. The most reported needs were psychological support, health education on different topics including reproductive health and sexually transmitted diseases, and nutritional services respectively. There was a high perception among surveyed students (71.5%) that the existing health services are inadequate for meeting their needs. Counseling, laboratory services, and premarital examination were the most frequently reported services mentioned by youth to be offered in YHCs. The majority (78.1%) preferred the health provider to be of the same sex. Despite the prevailing conservative culture in Upper Egypt, the students had positive attitude towards availability of sexual and reproductive information and establishment of a YHC in the university campus. A low awareness rate (15.1%) about the already existing YHC in university campus was revealed. Conclusion University students perceived that there are unmet needs for youth-specialized services, mainly for providing sexual and reproductive information, and establishment of an on-campus YHC. The study provides important information for policymakers about the perspectives of youth which should be taken into consideration when new YHC are planned and implemented.

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The English and Chinese language versions of the Short Form 12-item Health Survey are equivalent

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes ◽

10.1186/s12955-020-01653-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Daniel Y. T. Fong ◽

Janet Y. H. Wong ◽

Edmond P. H. Choi ◽

K. F. Lam ◽

C. Kwok

Keyword(s):

Measurement Invariance ◽

Health Survey ◽

Short Form ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Measurement Properties ◽

University Campus ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Multiple Group ◽

Confirmatory Factor ◽

The Difference

Abstract Background The Short Form 12-item Health Survey (SF-12v2) was originally developed in English, but it is also available in Hong Kong (HK) Chinese. While both language versions had their measurement properties well assessed in their respective populations, their measurement invariance in scores has not been examined. Therefore, we aimed to assess their measurement invariance. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study on individuals aged 18 years or older at a university campus. Those who were bilingual in English and Chinese were randomly assigned to self-complete either the standard English or the HK Chinese SF-12v2. Measurement invariance of the two components and eight scales of the SF-12v2 was concluded if the corresponding 90% confidence interval (CI) for the difference between the two language versions entirely fell within the minimal clinically important difference of ± 3 units. Multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was also performed. Results A total of 1013 participants completed the SF-12v2 (496 in English and 517 in HK Chinese), with a mean age of 22 years (Range 18–58), and 626 participants (62%) were female. There were no significant differences in demographics. Only the physical and mental components and the mental health (MH) scale had their 90% CIs (0.21 to 1.61, − 1.00 to 0.98, and − 0.86 to 2.84, respectively) completely fall within the ± 3 units. The multiple-group CFA showed partial strict invariance. Conclusions The English and HK Chinese versions of the SF-12v2 can be used in studies with their two components and MH scores pooled in the analysis.

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Delta Project, Towards a Sustainable Campus

10.20944/preprints201806.0372.v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Héctor Hugo ◽

Felipe Espinoza ◽

Ivetheyamel Morales ◽

Elías Ortiz ◽

Saúl Pérez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

City Council ◽

Business Community ◽

University Campus ◽

Living Lab ◽

Working Groups ◽

Area Of Influence ◽

External Actors ◽

The University ◽

The City ◽

The Town

The University of Guayaquil, which shares the same name as the city where it is located, faces the challenge of transforming its image for the XXI century. It was deemed necessary to identify details about the urban evolution of the historic link with the city, in relation to the changes produced by the project’s siting and its direct area of influence. The goal is to integrate the main university campus within a framework which guarantees sustainability and allows innovation in the living lab. To achieve this, the action research method was applied, focused on participation and the logic framework. For the diagnosis, proposal, and management model, integrated working groups were organized with internal users such as professors, students, and university authorities, and external actors such as residents, the local business community, Guayaquil city council, and the Governorate of Guayas. As result of the diagnosis, six different analysis dimensions were established which correspond to the new urban agenda for the future campus: compactness, inclusiveness, resilience, sustainability, safety and participation. As a proposal, the urban design integrates the analysis dimensions whose financing and execution are given by the Town Hall, at the same time the Governorate integrates the campus with its network of community police headquarters.

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Depression and Anxiety among University Students: a Comparison Between COVID-19 Pandemic Panic Period and Post-Panic Period in Bangladesh

10.21203/rs.3.rs-702997/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Gowranga Kumar Paul ◽

Meshbahur Rahman ◽

Shayla Naznin ◽

Mashfiqul Haq Chowdhury ◽

Md Jamal Uddin

Keyword(s):

University Students ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Health Concern ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Time Period ◽

The Difference ◽

The University

Abstract Background: The current COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest public health concern. It harmed everyone, both physically and mentally. Because of panic situations in COVID-19 pandemic, students all over the world, including those in Bangladesh, are suffering from depression and anxiety. Considering this, we aimed to assess psycho-emotional changes of the university students through investigating their level of depression and anxiety effects during panic and post-panic period of COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.Methods: Cross-sectional online surveys were conducted among university students in Bangladesh from April to July 2020 (panic period, n=170) and then from August to November 2020 (post-panic period, n=170). The PHQ-9 and GAD-7 questionnaires were used to assess respondents' depression and anxiety levels, respectively. We used continuous scores to assess the severity of depression and anxiety symptoms. We also computed binary depression and anxiety scores. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to analyze the data. Results: The proportion of depression symptoms was 49.4% during the panic period and 52.4% after the panic period. Anxiety symptoms were experienced by 38.2% of students during the panic period, and this percentage was nearly identical in the post-panic interval. Depression levels increased in the post-panic period and urban students have significantly (P< 0.05) higher levels of depression and anxiety than their counterparts. Female students also exhibited significantly more anxious symptoms (p=0.002) than male. Depression symptoms significantly vary by family types, students place of residence whereas students age, gender, education, family head's occupation, time period and family economic condition found no significant association with the depression.Conclusions: Students during the post-panic period have a higher prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms than during the panic period. Although the difference was small, it was still concerning for university students in Bangladesh because it interfered with their academic life.

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The Hellenic Open University Cosmic Ray Telescope: Research and Educational Activities

EPJ Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/epjconf/201818202072 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 182 ◽

pp. 02072 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

A. Leisos ◽

T. Avgitas ◽

G. Bourlis ◽

G.K. Fanourakis ◽

I. Gkialas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cosmic Ray ◽

Open University ◽

University Campus ◽

Air Showers ◽

Educational Activities ◽

Rf Antennas ◽

Primary Particles ◽

Plastic Scintillators ◽

The University ◽

The City

The Hellenic Open University Cosmic Ray Telescope consists of three autonomous stations installed at the University Campus in the city of Patras. Each station comprises three large (≈ 1 m2) plastic scintillators and one or more Codalema type RF antennas detecting Extensive Air Showers (EAS), originating from primary particles with energy greater than 10 TeV. The operation and the performance of the Telescope is presented briefly, emphasising the educational activities foreseen in the framework of the HEllenic LYceum Cosmic Observatories Network (HELYCON).

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Are campus food environments healthy? A novel perspective for qualitatively evaluating the nutritional quality of food sold at foodservice facilities at a Brazilian university

Perspectives in Public Health ◽

10.1177/1757913916636414 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 137 (2) ◽

pp. 122-135 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Isadora Santos Pulz ◽

Paula Andréa Martins ◽

Charles Feldman ◽

Marcela Boro Veiros

Keyword(s):

Food Environment ◽

Nutritional Quality ◽

Food Choices ◽

Healthy Food ◽

Food Environments ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Food Ingredients ◽

Nutrition Environment ◽

Food And Beverage

Aims: The purpose of this novel study was to evaluate the food environment at a Brazilian university, encompassing 6 restaurants and 13 snack bars. The investigation uniquely analyses the food environment (barriers, facilitators, type of foods and prices). This was a food-based analysis of the nutritional quality of the products sold on campus. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive design was used, applying the classic Nutrition Environment Measures Survey–Restaurants (NEMS-R) adapted for Brazil and an original methodology to evaluate and classify qualitatively the nutritional quality and characteristics of the food. A census of all campus food environments was applied. Results: The main results show most food and beverage products were made with processed ingredients and had a lower nutritional quality and price when compared with similar products made on premises, that is, processed iced tea compared with fresh tea ( p < .001), fried refined flour salgados compared with baked wholegrain flour salgados ( p < .001) and refined flour biscuits compared with those made with whole grains ( p = .028). Only 16% of the outlets provided food ingredients or nutritional information of products available. Conclusion: The overall options for healthy food choices and good nutritional quality on campus were mostly limited by the availability and higher prices of products. These findings could be used to develop new policy perspectives for the offering of healthy food items and to facilitate better food choices among students in a healthier food environment.

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Sexual Harassment on Campus: A Study in a Nigeria University

AGOGO: Journal of Humanities ◽

10.46881/ajh.v4i0.218 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

S. Y. Erinosho ◽

M. N. Femi-Oyewo ◽

E. O. Oduwole

Keyword(s):

Sexual Harassment ◽

Campus Climate ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Hostile Environment ◽

Psychological Consequences ◽

University Campus ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Males And Females ◽

The University

Sexual harassment (SH) is increasingly reported as an issue of major concern among both students and staff on campuses across the globe, and has been confirmed to have social and psychological consequences on the victim. However, the scale of the menace is underplayed because of under-reporting of cases. As a way to containing and/or regulating the behaviour, it is therefore imperative to obtain credible evidence on the veracity, the different forms, and how they play out to affect student victims with a view to foster an equitable campus climate. Thus, against the magnitude of the anecdotal reports on SH and the absence of empirical evidence on its extent, this study is concerned with obtaining baseline data on the forms and prevalence of campus-based sexual harassment, as well as ascertaining the awareness and knowledge of SH among undergraduates in a Nigeria University (OOU). An exploratory study involving cross-sectional survey of 1420 males and females was undertaken cutting across the faculties and levels in the University. The findings confirmed the existence of sexual harassment in OOU campus, though reported not to be on a rampant scale. Also, the behavior elements that indicate features of a hostile-environment harassment were reported with most likely occurrence on the campus. The policy implications of the findings were highlighted and recommendations made towards the prevention of SH victimization on the University campus.

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Consumers' Perceptions of Healthy Food Availability in Online Food Delivery Applications (OFD Apps) and Its Association With Food Choices Among Public University Students in Malaysia

Frontiers in Nutrition ◽

10.3389/fnut.2021.674427 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Elisa Zhen Rong Eu ◽

Mohd Jamil Sameeha

Keyword(s):

University Students ◽

Food Availability ◽

Food Environment ◽

Food Choice ◽

Food Choices ◽

Public University ◽

Food Delivery ◽

Healthy Food ◽

Healthy Food Availability ◽

Significant Difference

This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to study consumers' perceptions of healthy food availability in online food delivery applications (OFD apps) among public university students in Malaysia and its association with their food choices. A total of 290 subjects aged 19–29 years old were recruited from 20 public universities in Malaysia via snowball sampling. Data was collected through an online questionnaire which consisted of socio-demographic status, use of OFD apps (most frequently used brand, usage frequency, food choice, and expenditure per transaction), factors affecting food choice in OFD apps, consumers' perceptions of healthy food availability in OFD apps and recommendation for improvements. The most frequently used apps among the subjects was Food Panda (46.6%), however, majority of the subjects in this study (41.4%) rarely used OFD apps. Also, most of the subjects ordered unhealthy food (77.6%) and spent up to RM15–RM19 for each transaction (43.1%). There was no significant difference between the use of OFD apps and gender (p > 0.05). Among the five food choice motives, “price and convenience” motive was the most influencing food choice factor in OFD apps. Majority of the subjects (76.9%) had a negative perception of healthy food availability (variety, price, and quality of healthy food) in OFD apps. No significant association was found between consumers' perceptions of healthy food availability in OFD apps and their food choices made in OFD apps among the subjects in this study (p > 0.05). Also, majority (85.9%) responded they are keen to purchase healthy foods through OFD apps if they are given an option. However, most Malaysian public university students perceived that there were not much variety of healthy food, of good quality and affordable price, available in OFD apps. This finding suggests that the online food environment in Malaysia are perceived as unhealthy. Future studies can explore the online food environment particularly its impact on community health and well-being. Public health professionals and policymakers need to address the online food environment issues as part of the obesogenic food environment in Malaysia especially when OFD is one of the most convenient service in this country.

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The university, the city and the clown: A theological essay on solidarity, mutuality and prophecy

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies ◽

10.4102/hts.v71i3.3100 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 71 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Stephan De Beer

Keyword(s):

Public University ◽

The Other ◽

The Public ◽

The One ◽

The University ◽

The Relationship ◽

The City ◽

Liberation Theologian

This essay is informed by five different but interrelated conversations all focusing on the relationship between the city and the university. Suggesting the clown as metaphor, I explore the particular role of the activist scholar, and in particular the liberation theologian that is based at the public university, in his or her engagement with the city. Considering the shackles of the city of capital and its twin, the neoliberal university, on the one hand, and the city of vulnerability on the other, I then propose three clown-like postures of solidarity, mutuality and prophecy to resist the shackles of culture and to imagine and embody daring alternatives.

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