Abstract
BackgroundEating habits have been a major concern among university students as a determinant of health status. The aim of this study was to assess the pattern of eating habits and its associated social and psychological factors among medical students.MethodsA cross sectional study was conducted among 132 medical students of pre-clinical phase at a Malaysian university. A self-administered questionnaire was used which included questions on socio-demography, anthropometry, eating habits and psychosocial factors.ResultsMean (±SD) age of the respondents was 22.7 (±2.4) years and (the age) ranged from 18 to 30 years. More than half had regular meals and breakfast (57.6% &, 56.1% respectively). Majority (73.5%) consumed fruits less than three times per week, 51.5% had fried food twice or more a week and 59.8% drank water less than 2 liters daily. Eating habits score was significantly low among younger students (18–22 years), smokers, alcohol drinkers and those who did not exercise. (p<0.05). Four psychological factors out of six, were significantly associated with eating habits (p<0.05). In multivariate analysis, age and ‘eating because of feeling happy’ were significantly associated with eating habits score (p<0.05).ConclusionMost of the students in this study had healthy eating habits. Social and psychological factors were important determinants of eating habits among medical students.
Highlights
Eating habits have been a major concern among university students as a determinant of health status
The mushrooming of shopping malls, convenience stores, vending machines and fast food outlets have created an alarming situation for young adults to practice unhealthy eating habits [9]
Socio-demographic characteristics One hundred and thirty two out of 140 students participated in this study with a response rate of 94.0%
Summary
Eating habits have been a major concern among university students as a determinant of health status. Poor eating habits is a major public health concern among young adults who experienced transition into university life [1], during which, they are exposed to stress and lack of time [2,3]. These factors pose a barrier against adoption of healthy behaviors, such as poor eating habits and substance abuse [1]. University students tend to make their own food choices [10] based on cost of food and availability of fast food [11] They lack knowledge of healthy food choices that may affect eating habits and nutritional status negatively [11]. University students had frequent snacking habits [14] and had a higher frequency of fast food consumption [15]
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