Encouraging healthy eating behaviours through healthy eating environments. Case of Durham University

The aim of the study was to perform a formative research by exploring, describing and evaluating at the same time on various factors that influence eating behaviours on campus. The study looks at the situation of Durham University’s college catering system and students’ eating practices, needs, barriers to eat healthy, and explores how the upstream social marketing approach could be advantageous in creating healthy eating environments. The report notes inconsistencies in strategy implementation within Durham University’s catering initiative to provide students with nutritionally balanced meals and nutritional information, ultimately trying to promote healthy intakes. Great number of students suggested that meal offering was a barrier to making healthy choice. Most students were not generally aware of their personal nutritional requirements, indicating a knowledge gap, even for those who considered healthy eating important. Findings, confirmed through the research, indicate that a considerable element in the creation of healthy eating environments at Durham University’s colleges lies within the provision of nutritionally balanced meals and the adoption of more effective means of communicating nutritional information to students and encouraging them to make healthy choices.