Balancing Healthy Meals and Busy Lives: Associations between Work, School, and Family Responsibilities and Perceived Time Constraints among Young Adults

ObjectiveTo characterize associations between perceived time constraints for healthy eating and work, school, and family responsibilities among young adults.DesignCross-sectional survey.SettingA large, Midwestern metropolitan region.ParticipantsA diverse sample of community college (n = 598) and public university (n = 603) students.Main Outcome MeasuresTime constraints in general, as well as those specific to meal preparation/structure, and perceptions of a healthy life balance.AnalysisChi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression (α = .005).ResultsWomen, 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 and ImplicationsMost 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.