(P14-006-23) Food Sensitive College Students Less Likely To Adhere to Dietary Restrictions Despite High Incidence of GI Issues

Objectives: Dietary restrictions may be followed because of personal choices and/or medical diagnosis. The literature lacks studies focused on the experiences of college students navigating campus life and handling the effects of restricted eating. The goal of this study was to assess how food allergies, food sensitivities, and/or autoimmune disease affects one’s overall health and well-being as a college student.

Methods: A 33-item web-based survey was promoted to undergraduate and graduate students at a large state institution in Louisiana. Participants needed to identify as having dietary restrictions due to food allergies, food sensitivities, and/or autoimmune disease. Items assessed their prioritization of dietary restrictions, commitment to reading food labels, and common symptoms experienced when eating a restricted food item.

Results: People with food sensitives were found to prioritize following their dietary restrictions significantly less often than those with allergies and autoimmune diseases (p < .001). This was also reflected in their responses to how often they read food labels, which revealed they were significantly less likely to read labels (p=0.042) than those with food allergies. Students with food sensitives were also more likely to report incidence of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms like diarrhea, nausea, bloating, gas, and vomiting when eating foods they should avoid.

Conclusions: Experiencing uncomfortable GI symptoms may interrupt college students’ busy schedules causing an increase in stress, embarrassment, money spent on medication to alleviate symptoms, missing class/work, feelings of isolation, and put a strain on intimate relationships. Minimal dietary adherence may lead to an increased risk for decreased GI motility time resulting in malabsorption of vitamins and minerals that could over time cause more serious health issues. The lack of a formal diagnosis, finding the root cause(s) of symptoms, and lack of dietary education could all be contributing factors to why those with food sensitives do not follow dietary restrictions as often.

Funding Sources: None