The drivers of food preperation behaviors in University of Canberra students.

University students are commonly overlooked as a population at nutritional risk. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of food preparation behaviours in University of Canberra students, along with barriers they may face when preparing food at home and how this may affect their nutritional intake. An online survey was developed and distributed to University of Canberra students (n = 253). Results showed that university students were likely to have less of time and energy available to dedicate to their food preparation behaviours (77%). This is likely to contribute to the poor dietary behaviours within this population group while increasing the rates of non-communicable diseases within Australia. Furthermore, students living on campus were more likely to prepare dinner (p < 0.01) but were less likely to have adequate money to spend on food (p < 0.01). They were also less likely to prepare dinner for two or more people (p = 0.02). This study provides insights into addressing the areas to improve the health of university students and decrease risk factors associated with developing chronic non-communicable diseases in the future.