Abstract
As young adults transition from secondary education to post-secondary education, they enter a time of life when they are able to independently and potentially for the first time make all of their own food decisions. This shift from childhood to young adulthood and the new-found freedom to make food decisions makes students vulnerable to weight gain. In addition, and of much concern, during this transition health behavioral patterns develop that often persist into later life. Through experiential learning assisted with the use of a geographic information system (GIS) we exposed college freshman to the built environment surrounding a college campus with the objective of promoting healthy eating habits by being cognizant of the food choices they are making and how place affects these choices. The method discussed here provides insight to delivering health education with the assistance of a visual technology.