How do they eat? An ethnographic study of student eating behaviour studying in a New Zealand university

Are you interested in taking part in research that may be used to recommend or create improved student supports to help improve dietary behaviours of university students?

If so, I am a Student Dietitian completing my master’s thesis, and would like to invite you to participate in my research. My study aims to understand how the university environment, culture and other factors influences the eating behaviours of university students.  

As a research participant, your role would be to:  

• Keep a daily diary of everything you eat from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep using the Indeemo mobile food diary application.
• Answer questions about eating occasions to add context to the occasion (where you are, who you are with, what you are doing, what you are thinking.
• As a token of appreciation, you will be rewarded with a $100 supermarket or fuel voucher at the end of the 3-month study period.

After completing three months of data collection, you will also have the option to enter a draw for a chance to win a Lenovo M7 Android tablet.  

To be eligible for the study you need to:  

• Be over the age of 18.
  
• Have access to a smartphone with iOS 10 and above (including iOS 14), or Android 5 and above (including Android 11.
• Be willing to record daily eating occasions using a mobile food diary application for a period of up to 12 weeks or 3 months.  

You are not eligible to participate in this study if you're currently studying or have previously studied in the following pathways:

• Bachelor of Science in Nutrition
  
• Bachelor of Science in Food Science 
  

Nicholas Ariell
Student dietitian and researcher
Email: nari632@aucklanduni.ac.nz