1 G e n d e r e d E a t i n g D i f f e r e n c e s S p a u l d i n g Gendered Eating Differences in Amount of Food Intake on a College Campus Eric Spaulding University of Connecticut 2 G e n d e r e d E a t i n g D i f f e r e n c e s S p a u l d i n g Abstract The purpose of the experiment was to see if there are any prevalent differences in the amount of food consumed by men and women at the University of Connecticut Participants were divided into two groups based on whether they were with other people N 62 31 Men 31 Women or alone N 25 19 Men 6 women and the amount of plates they consumed was observed Results showed that there is a clear difference between the amount of food consumed by men and women but not a very significant difference caused by eating with others or alone Statistical analysis shows that men with others consumed an average of 2 52 plates men alone consumed an average of 2 26 plates women with others consumed an average of 1 63 plates and women alone consumed an average of 1 42 plates This data suggests that there are clear differences at least in the amount of food consumed between men and women 3 G e n d e r e d E a t i n g D i f f e r e n c e s S p a u l d i n g Introduction The topic that I was studying is how students enrolled at the University of Connecticut specifically men and women consume food in McMahon dining hall I find this topic interesting because it will shed light on the gendered eating differences that occur on a college campus and should be relatively generalizable to the real world I wanted to know if men and women consumed different amounts of food based on their sex and whether or not being with others affected food choice as well It was hypothesized that men would always consume more than women and that people who are alone would consume more than if they are with other people I believe that these hypotheses are true because men biologically need to consume more calories and in general are expected to eat more than women in social contexts I also believed that people who are alone would consume more food because they are not under any apparent social pressure to conform to a specific amount of food There is a great deal of research done on topics similar to my own In the study An examination of sex differences in relation to the eating habits and nutrient intakes of university students done by Li et all 2012 they wanted to see if university students nutrient intake or eating habits were dependent on gender precisely like my own study They tested their hypotheses through the use of a survey which is different from my own as I intend to use passive observation to collect my data They did not however find any differences between genders in eating habits Sex predicted nutrient intakes partially through eating habits Interactions between sex and eating habits were nonsignificant Li et all 2012 I believe that my study will yield more appropriate results however because I am basing the gender differences on the amount of food consumed rather than the type of food consumed I will also be gaining 4 G e n d e r e d E a t i n g D i f f e r e n c e s S p a u l d i n g data through objective observation and not through a self reported study as Li et all have done in their study There is another study done by Hayes and Napolitano titled Examination of weight control practices in a non clinical sample of college women Though this study was focused more on race it sheds light on the workings of the female mind when making food choices and will apply to my study as it attempts to show this Of note greater use of healthy weight control practices was associated with higher cognitive restraint drive for thinness minutes of physical activity and more frequent use of compensatory strategies Hayes and Napolitano 2012 This shows that women are actively trying to curb the amount of food that they consume and if this is true it will support my hypothesis that women will consume less food than men Hayes and Napolitano like Li et all used a survey to collect their data and I believe that my study will do a better job of collecting it objectively because it is not based on self reports People are unable to lie about the amount of food they are consuming as I have observed it without their knowledge My research should be able to further their point about college women s eating habits in a more objective manner Gender differences in binge eating and behavioral correlates among college students is another study that was done by Kelley Weeder Jennings and Wolfe that can contribute knowledge to my study Though they were studying binge eating habits they clearly acknowledge that there are differences in eating habits in general between men and women Factors associated with binge eating included being female Women were more likely to binge eat report loss of control self induce vomiting and use laxatives Kelley Weeder Jennings Wolfe 2012 What can be derived clearly from this study is that there is a much greater social pressure on women to remain thin and this will provide support for my hypothesis that women 5 G e n d e r e d E a t i n g D i f f e r e n c e s S p a u l d i n g are likely to eat less than men at the dining hall My study is unique or at least unlike these other studies I have presented because they were all done through the use of surveys This form of data collection while good for a large scale of data is highly subjective and open to the participant s willingness to share information about themselves My study will be performed through passive observation and will allow me to gain data in the most objective way possible My hypotheses are that men on average will consume more food than women will and people who are alone of both sexes will consume more food than if they were with someone else To measure food consumption types of meals have been quantified in such a way that will allow me to tally up an amount of points that participants will gain throughout the course of their meal depending on what they eat Method Participants Participants were derived from students attending the University of Connecticut They were observed consuming meals within the McMahon dining hall Participants did not actively take part …