Abstract
(1) Background: The aim of the research was to expand the current knowledge about the diets of female university students in relation to the frequency of their sports activity (SA). We were specifically interested in the eating frequency, the distribution of the amount of food during the day, including breakfast in the diet, and the timing of dinner before bedtime. (2) Methods: The sample in this cross-sectional research consisted of 1055 female freshmen university students from the two universities in eastern Slovakia. Data were obtained through a set of selected questions from a questionnaire battery. (3) Results: We found a significant rank–order correlation between the frequency of meals during the day and the level of SA, as well as between the consumption of breakfast and SA. Furthermore, we found a significant indirect dependence on the distribution of meals during the day and SA. The results indicate a better dietary pattern of the more active female students in terms of the frequency of meals. (4) Conclusions: “The healthy behaviour”, which includes proper diet and regular SA, was monitored in the cross-sectional research we conducted, the results of which consistently point to opportunities for further improvement. There is a need for universities to develop professionally targeted programmes that will enable novice students to modify their health behaviours during their studies.
Highlights
Rational nutrition and proper diet are the main pillars of a healthy lifestyle and, together with sports activity (SA), they have a significant impact on the health of adolescents [1]
We addressed 1175 female freshmen university students from the two largest universities in eastern Slovakia, namely, 5 faculties at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice (UPJŠ; n = 727; 68.9%) and 8 faculties at the Technical University in Košice (TUKE; n = 328; 31.1%), 81 of whom declined to participate in the research
Our results suggest better eating habits in female students who regularly participate in SA with a frequency as low as once a week, we found significant differences only between the female students who participated in sports 3 or more times a week and students who do not participate in SA or participate only irregularly
Summary
Rational nutrition and proper diet are the main pillars of a healthy lifestyle and, together with sports activity (SA), they have a significant impact on the health of adolescents [1]. Adequate food choices and good eating habits are essential for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and for the health of the youth [3,4,5]. The nutritional habits of university students pose a significant threat to their lifestyle. Due to the lack of time associated with the amount of studying, many students are forced to eat in a hurry and largely prefer the consumption of fast food with high calorie content and low nutritional value [13,14]. According to several authors [7,14,15,16,17], breakfast omissions, fast food, sweet drinks, and an unbalanced diet are the main food patterns in this population group
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