| dc.description.abstract | Green Machine: An Investigation of Healthy Vending Machines on Dalhousie Campus was a research project that focused on the practicality of supplying healthier vending machine options onto Dalhousie’s Studley campus. Preliminary research revealed that when students eat healthier they will perform and feel better. University is typically the first time for someone to act out independence and it is crucial that they do not develop bad eating habits that last a lifetime.
This project was a pilot study with a 15 question mixed method survey to determine how Dalhousie students feel about current vending machines and alternatives options to them. The survey was delivered to the public through an online service called Survey Monkey, and we received 166 respondents. Of these respondents 5 were non Dalhousie students meaning they could not participate and were disqualified, while 2 left the survey immediately, leaving 159 people who completed the survey. The majority of the demographic were females between the ages of 17 and 24 currently completing their undergraduate degree.
Main Results:
- 73% of respondents do not use vending machines, 18% use them once a week, leaving only 9% who use vending machines more than once a week
- The main reasons respondents do not use vending machines are the price, health concerns, and limited options
- The maximum amount of money most respondents are willing to spend on a vending machine is $3.00
- 33% of respondents are not satisfied with vending machines, 61% are somewhat satisfied, and 6% are very satisfied
The recommendations for Dalhousie are to perform further studies into the matter. From the results it is clear that students are not completely satisfied with the current status of vending machines. Dalhousie should investigate if the current amounts of vending machines in place are fully utilized with positive feedback, or if some of them are wasting energy and product due to lack of usage. We also recommend that Dalhousie perform a case study with healthy vending machines to determine if one would be successful on campus. | en_US |
