ETHICAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES RELATED TO STUDENTS’ ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOOD IN THE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS. A THEORETICAL APPROACH
ETHICAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES RELATED TO STUDENTS’ ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOOD IN THE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS. A THEORETICAL APPROACH

Summary/Abstract: University years represent a critical period in terms of establishing eating patterns and adapting to a new environment. The largest gain in weight occurs at age 18-29 and can have negative consequences on students` health status. The access of students to a healthy diet represents an ethical and social problem little studied in our country. The present paper wanted to examine the main causes that can lead to unhealthy patterns among students. The theoretic analysis showed that nutritional education, knowledge about food, health beliefs, academic schedule, campus food environment, financial incomes and meals’ costs - all these factors can have positive or negative influences on students’ eating habits. In addition, international students represent a more vulnerable population and one of the main sources of stress of acculturation among international students is represented by the type of food from hosting culture. Given the above, universities must take an attitude and contribute to the development of a healthy university food environment. Implementation of dietary programs to improve the nutritional health of students will inform the student who will be more aware of the consequences of unhealthy foods, poor in vegetables and fruits on mental and physical health, later in life. In conclusion, there are many factors that affect the eating habits among students, It is really useful to know about these factors in order to provide effective education and nutritional care so university must offer equal access to healthy food to all of its students.

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