Barriers to healthy eating among overweight/obese physiotherapy students. Do urban/rural residence or living with/without family have a link?

Abstract

IntroductionThe role of students’ residence and living status in the perceived barriers to healthy eating warrants attention. This study aimed to assess whether these factors influenced the perceived barriers to healthy eating in physiotherapy students.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in 3 Egyptian universities during the 2018 2nd semester; 404 physiotherapy students aged 18–22 years were recruited. They were overweight and obese, males and females, from all academic levels. The assessment tool was a validated questionnaire comprising 10 items designed to evaluate personal, social, and environmental barriers to healthy eating. A chi-squared test was used for statistical analysis.ResultsIn overweight students, there was a significant link between their residence and the perception of the barriers of lack of information, lack of enjoyment, lack of skills, high cost of healthy food, lack of friends’ support, lack of faculty staff support (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The living status was significantly related with the perception of the barriers of lack of information, lack of skills, lack of access to healthy foods, and high cost of healthy food in overweight students (<i>p</i> < 0.05). There was no significant association between the perception of the barrier of lack of time and students’ residence or living status.ConclusionsResidence and/or living status influence the perception of several barriers to healthy eating in overweight physiotherapy students. These observations may aid efforts to promote healthier eating behaviours among overweight/obese students, particularly from rural communities or living away from the family.