The Influence of Residence on Young Adult Attitudes toward Healthy Eating

Abstract

Like other Western countries, Australia too reports record numbers of overweight and obese individuals with young Australian adults in a particularly high-risk position. It is suspected that the transition from dependent living in the family home to independent living during young adulthood influences food choice. As such, this study sought to investigate if attitudes toward healthy eating varied by the place of residence (dependent or independent) of these young adults. Using a self-administered questionnaire, quantitative data from 310 Australians between the ages of 18 to 24 years found that young adults who lived independently displayed a significantly more positive attitude toward healthy eating than those who remained in the family home. Furthermore, we found that a significant, positive relationship between attitude toward healthy eating and the number of recommended serves consumed in both independent and dependent living arrangements. Being an unexplored area, these findings are novel and provide valuable insights for the implementation of an inducement process for planned social change as well as informing the education and motivation elements of intervention strategies.