title: Balancing healthy meals and busy lives: associations between work, school, and family responsibilities and perceived time constraints among young adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To characterize associations between perceived time constraints for healthy eating and work, school, and family responsibilities among young adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  A large, Midwestern metropolitan region.
  
  
  METHODS
  A diverse sample of community college (n = 598) and public university (n = 603) students.
  
  
  METHODS
  Time constraints in general, as well as those specific to meal preparation/structure, and perceptions of a healthy life balance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression (α = .005).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women, 4-year students, and students with lower socioeconomic status perceived more time constraints (P < .001-.002); students with lower socioeconomic status were less likely to have a healthy balance (P ≤ .003). Having a heavy course load and working longer hours were important predictors of time constraints among men (P < .001-.004), whereas living situation and being in a relationship were more important among women (P = .002-.003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most young adults perceive time constraints on healthy dietary behaviors, yet some young adults appear able to maintain a healthy life balance despite multiple time demands. Interventions focused on improved time management strategies and nutrition-related messaging to achieve healthy diets on a low time budget may be more successful if tailored to the factors that contribute to time constraints separately among men and women.
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA. pelle137@umn.edu
authors.forename: Jennifer E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Pelletier
authors.forename: Melissa N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Laska
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002017:Budgets; D003296:Cooking; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008612:Menu Planning; D052756:Nutritional Sciences / Q000193:education*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D013997:Time Factors; D017748:Time Management / Q000523:psychology; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult