This study was undertaken to compare meal skipping, snacking, and weight perceptions between students on-campus living alone and off-campus living with parents, in an urban college in the United States. The self-report survey was completed by 219 college students (on-campus=100, off-campus=119) between April and May 2012. Two-thirds (67%) of the respondents skipped at least one meal in the past week, and most participants showed strong desires to lose weight despite their normal/under-weight status. Significant differences between the two groups were obtained for the reason to skip a meal and the type of snack consumed. Compared to on-campus students, significantly higher values were obtained for off-campus students for choosing ‘no time to prepare’ as a meal skipping reason for lunch and dinner, and ‘sweets’ as a preferred snack. In addition to the group comparison, multiple regression results indicate that the body mass index (BMI) positively correlates with meal skipping and snacking frequencies. Younger students and female students were determined to have a higher frequency of meal skipping and morning snacking. Future research is required to study the dietary factors associated with living arrangements, to help college students develop healthy eating habits.

Abstract
I. Introduction
II. Materials and Methods
    1. Study Design and Participants
    2. Questionnaire Contents
    3. Statistical Analysis
III. Results and Discussion
IV. Summary and Conclusion
Conflict of Interest
References

• Sung Eun Choi(Department of Family, Nutrition, and Exercise Sciences, Queens College, The City University of New York) Corresponding author
• Yuju Lee(Department of Family, Nutrition, and Exercise Sciences, Queens College, The City University of New York, Union Plaza Care Center)