Do products from healthier vending machines on a university campus sell?

Optimizing Efforts to Promote Mental Health on College and University Campuses: Recommendations to Facilitate Usage of Services, Resources, and Supports

Mental health has long been a challenge on college and university campuses. Though it has historically taken a back seat to physical health, college administrators recently identified mental health as a key area for additional support. With the COVID-19 pandemic bringing mental health into the conversation across the country, there is no more critical and opportune time for colleges and universities to prioritize mental health. Many public and private universities alike have begun to do this, but how can they ensure that the services and resources they are providing and promoting get used and that students, faculty, and staff reap the benefits of these efforts? This commentary describes a set of universal steps the authors recommend based on their experience working with colleges and universities across New York State to increase uptake and usage of services.

College Students' Perception of Snacks Sold in Vending Machines in the US: A Mixed-Methods Study

Introduction: Food in vending machines in US colleges contain limited nutritious foods available for purchase, which could affect the food choices made by students leading to poor diet quality. Interventions to improve college foodscapes usually follow a top-down approach and fail to affect dietary behavioral changes ultimately. This research aims to uncover what students want and ways to achieve change.

Methods: The mixed-methods approach included peer-led qualitative focus group discussions and a brief quantitative questionnaire on satisfaction from foods available in vending machines. A convenience sample of 20 students (15 females) was recruited from a Hispanic serving institution for this study.

Results: Vending machines were perceived as convenient, plentiful, and unhealthy. Students expressed dissatisfaction with both the variety and nutritional quality of snacks in vending machines. Suggestions for improvement included more fresh items (fruits and vegetables) and refrigerated items with higher protein content (low-fat yogurt, hummus, and peanut butter). To implement these improvements, participants discussed the cost and feasibility of perishable items. Increasing awareness and partnering strategies were proposed to mediate potential cost and buy-in obstacles as was elevating the appeal of healthy vending machines with technological enhancements that draw customers in and educate.

Conclusion and Implication for Practice: This group of college students was eager for positive changes in foods sold in vending machines and understand the major difficulties. The suggested changes may help this and other colleges develop policies to regulate the foods in vending machines to promote overall health and help prevent chronic diseases in the future.