Dietary Practices and Barriers to Adherence to Healthy Eating among King Faisal University Students.

Amal Ismael Abdelhafez,Ayub Ali,Sahbanathul Missiriya Jalal,Abdulrahman Abdulhadi Alsultan,Fahima Akhter

doi:10.3390/ijerph17238945

Amal Ismael Abdelhafez, Ayub Ali + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17238945

Copy DOI

Abstract

Proper dietary practices should be developed during the student years that will continue into the future. This study aimed to identify the eating habits and dietary practices among King Faisal University (KFU) students, explore the barriers to adherence to healthy eating, associate the understanding of healthy diets with students’ characteristics, and determine the association between body mass index (BMI) and awareness of the concept of healthy diets, academic discipline, and enrollment in a nutrition course. In this cross-sectional study, students were selected randomly and a questionnaire was distributed using an electronic platform through KFU email. Out of 564 students, nearly half (45.7%) reported eating snacks as their main food, and some (38.3%) reported eating with their family twice daily. The students rarely reported eating with friends (73%) or eating dates (48.8%). Furthermore, many reported that they were not consuming a balanced diet (42.6%). Some students (46.3%) reported taking breakfast daily, and 49.1% reported eating meals regularly. There was low consumption of vegetables (29.3%) and fruits (26.2%) among the students. The barriers to adherence to healthy eating were the availability of fast food (73.2%), high cost of healthy food (72.7%), limited time (59%), and laziness (57.1%). Statistically significant data indicated that the students with a normal BMI were more aware of the concept of healthy diets, studied medical and applied sciences, and were enrolled in KFU nutrition courses.

Highlights

The dietary practices of university students will carry over into later life, playing a long-term role in dietary behavior and food consumption, as this is an essential period in habit formation [1,2].Students are the future of the nation, and are expected to have sufficient knowledge about dietary patterns and appropriate dietary practices
The results show that 56.9% of the students belonged to a simple family, and 53.9% of the students had a normal body mass index (BMI)
71.6% were enrolled in a nutrition course, and 84.9% were aware of the concept of a healthy diet

Summary

Introduction

The dietary practices of university students will carry over into later life, playing a long-term role in dietary behavior and food consumption, as this is an essential period in habit formation [1,2].Students are the future of the nation, and are expected to have sufficient knowledge about dietary patterns and appropriate dietary practices. The dietary practices of university students will carry over into later life, playing a long-term role in dietary behavior and food consumption, as this is an essential period in habit formation [1,2]. In 2012, the Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, published food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG) that promote a healthy diet and aim to change living styles in the wider population [3]. During the last three decades, dramatic changes have been observed in socio-demographic and individual lifestyles in Saudi Arabia due to increased urbanization and rapid economic growth, which have impacted on the patterns of food consumption and led to increasingly unhealthy diets [4]. The important factors that influence the patterns of dietary consumption are eating habits, changes in perceived knowledge about nutrition, income status, and cultural beliefs, as well as social, Int. J. Public Health 2020, 17, 8945; doi:10.3390/ijerph17238945 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion