Research: Smart Minds, Poor Plates? What Students Really Know About Nutrition

Posted: 12/08/2025

A UK study found that most university students had low to moderate nutrition knowledge, regardless of their degree or year level. Many students struggled with basic dietary facts, including understanding fats, sugars and healthy eating guidelines, and were often influenced by misinformation from social media. Students with better nutrition knowledge were more likely to make healthier food choices, and poor diet choices were often linked to knowledge gaps, not only lifestyle, convenience or cost reasons. Australian universities should not assume students have the knowledge or skills to make healthy eating choices. Consideration should be given to embedding engaging, evidence-based nutrition in all degrees and aspects of campus life.

Citation: Derbyshire, E., & Davies, G. J. Nutrition knowledge among university students in the UK: a cross-sectional study. Public Health Nutrition, 2021. (link)

More Articles in Healthy Campus Projects

UniSport Hosts Healthy Campus Community of Practice Session Exploring Physical Activity and Sport

Posted: 25/09/2026

Forty-seven university representatives from Australia, New Zealand and Fiji came together on Tuesday 22 September for the latest UniSport Healthy Campus Community of Practice (CoP), focused on the role of physical activity and sport in supporting healthy campus environments. The CoP sessions bring FISU Healthy Campus members together to share approaches and practical examples to implement Healthy Campus criteria on campus. This session covered criteria […]

RMIT University’s FISU Healthy Campus Accreditation Builds On University-Wide Wellbeing Work

Posted: 24/09/2026

RMIT University has achieved FISU Healthy Campus accreditation, recognising the range of work underway to support student health and wellbeing across the university. RMIT became a signatory to the FISU Healthy Campus Program in 2025 and achieved accreditation after meeting 40 criteria across six domains: Healthy Campus Management, Physical Activity and Sport, Nutrition, Disease Prevention, […]

Research: Different Exercise, Better Student Mental Health

Posted: 21/09/2026

Depression, anxiety and stress are common among university students, highlighting the need for accessible strategies that support mental health alongside existing services. Researchers conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis of 25 international randomised controlled trials involving 2,127 university students to compare different forms of exercise. Overall, exercise significantly reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety and […]

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