Assessing food availability and healthier options in an urban Chinese university: a case study using the Chinese Nutrition Environment Measurement Survey for Stores (C-NEMS-S)

Young adults (18–24 years) in universities are frequently exposed to an environment that promotes unhealthy eating behaviors. Using a validated tool, the Chinese Nutrition Environment Measurement Survey for Stores (C-NEMS-S), we assess the food availability and healthier options in a large, urban Chinese university. We employed C-NEMS-S for scoring criteria and weighting. A total of 52 on-campus canteen outlets were audited in an urban university located in Shijiazhuang City, China. General food outlets ( n 43) and self-served food outlets ( n 7) were further categorized into eight subtypes. Beverage outlets ( n 2) were discussed separately from food outlets. C-NEMS-S scores were significantly different across food outlet types ( P = 0.0024), especially between noodle and rice outlets ( P = 0.0415). Food availability scores for starchy tubers ( P < 0.001), dry beans ( P < 0.001), vegetables ( P = 0.0225), and fruits ( P < 0.001) were significantly different across food outlet subtypes. Healthier options were scarce and only appeared in “grains” ( n 2) and “meat and poultry” ( n 2) categories. Further research on improving the accustomed audit tool and assessing university student diet quality is warranted.