Exploring the relationship between nutrition-related attitudes and use of Scrappy’s Cupboard among college students at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Introduction This thesis examines the relationship between nutrition-related attitudes and the use of Scrappy’s Cupboard, a campus food pantry, among undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). This study aims to determine how students’ attitudes toward nutrition influence their likelihood of utilizing campus food resources, highlighting differences between users and non-users of Scrappy’s Cupboard. A correlation between nutrition-related attitudes and the use of Scrappy's Cupboard was expected, with pantry users reporting more positive attitudes towards nutrition compared to non-users. Methods A survey was administered to UTC students to assess their nutrition-related attitudes, food pantry usage, and demographic characteristics. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and phi coefficients were employed to analyze the data and determine the relationship between nutrition attitudes and food pantry use. Results Results indicated that non-users of Scrappy’s Cupboard were more nutritionally aware than users. Non-users demonstrated greater attention to nutrition information and health-conscious behaviors, though chi-square analyses showed that these differences were not statistically significant. Discussion These findings suggest that users and non-users of campus food resources may differ in their nutritional awareness, but other factors, such as accessibility and convenience, could play a role in pantry usage. This study contributes insights into the nutritional attitudes of college students and offers recommendations for campus food resources to incorporate strategies that appeal to diverse student needs and levels of nutritional awareness.