We didn't need an in-depth research project to tell us that a fair percentage of students drink too much alcohol and eat too few vegetables. Fortunately, the UK's first study of the dietary changes brought about by going to university delves into more wide-ranging issues. And it has already unearthed a less predictable trend. Male students are particularly prone to what Dr Ricardo Costa from Coventry University calls "disordered eating patterns". Not to be confused with eating disorders. "We're not talking about bulimia, anorexia and other psychological conditions," he stresses. "That's not my field."
His field is dietetics and human nutrition. Along with a colleague, Dr Farzad Amirabdollahian, he has so far carried out around 130 in-depth interviews with undergraduates of both sexes. Between now and next April they hope to talk to another 270. "That 400 will give us a really strong idea of the trends in one university," says Costa. "From there, we hope to apply for a grant and expand the study to two more."
One is likely to be Hertfordshire, where Amirabdollahian used to work; the other Bangor, where Costa did research while also working as a dietician on the Wirral. "The more I looked into the obesity epidemic in the UK, the more it became evident that there was a lot of evidence about the dietary habits of children and adults, but very little in between," he explains. "I knew that my diet changed when I first went to university and colleagues had told me that it was the same for them. I thought it was time we looked at what living the student life is doing to your body."
As many as 50% of male students who have taken part in the Coventry survey seem to share with contemporaries from all walks of life a susceptibility to the blandishments of men's magazines. "They're very focused on their body image and not just to meet sporting needs," says Costa. Does he mean that they want to get rid of the burgeoning beer gut and put on muscle to look good for women? "Yes, that's what the trend suggests. But instead of trying to achieve it through a balanced diet as well as exercise, they're going for disordered eating – outside the norm, in other words. They're spending their money on dietary supplements such as protein powders, amino acids and creatine." Any food to go with that? "They tend to go for a lot of high-protein, low-fat meat, such as chicken or turkey breast from the economy or frozen ranges. Oh yes, and egg whites, without the yolks." Fruit and veg? "Very little."
This may, of course, be a phase that many of these young men will grow out of. But if it continues, the consequences for their health could be serious. "The liver and kidneys eventually struggle to break down an excess of protein," Costa warns, "so liver and kidney failure is a distinct possibility in the long term. We've already seen that phenomenon among body builders. They're also going to have a deficiency in good-quality fats. That can ultimately lead to cardiac problems. And don't forget the mental issues that will arise for those who fail to meet this idealised body image."
He would dearly love to involve psychologists as the project expands and spreads. Not only to work with young men worried about their lack of muscle, but also to find new ways of spreading the healthy-eating message across campuses. "Posters don't seem to work," he says.
The research, still in its early stages, already indicates a disinclination to buy what Costa calls "proper food". With the exception of mature students, cooking skills are low and consumption of ready meals and takeaways high. Very few respondents are eating anywhere near the "five-a-day" fruit and vegetable intake recommended, he says. "Females were better than males in that regard and students in the health professions were well above average. But even among them, the average was only four portions a day."
As for alcohol, there is no guarantee that students are any more honest than the rest of us when admitting how many units they consume. "They may be under-reporting what they're drinking," Costa admits. "But on average they went out twice a week and drank anything from two to 15 units at a sitting." (The government recommends no more than three to four units for a man and two to three for a woman.) "It was noticeable that drinking with a meal was very rare," he goes on, and nods when I suggest that the results might be very different in France or Spain.
Admittedly we are talking about flats, bed-sits and halls of residence in Coventry rather than high table at Peterhouse, Cambridge. But the trend seems to be common to students of all social backgrounds. "Another striking finding from the early stages of our work is that parents' income and education have no apparent influence on students' dietary choices," says Costa. "No matter if you're rich or poor, university is a level playing field." Well, when it comes to nutritional standards, anyway.
