Exploration of the Dietary and Lifestyle Behaviors and Weight Status and Their Self-Perceptions among Health Sciences University Students in North Lebanon

Abstract

University students may experience significant environmental changes that exert a negative influence on the quality of their diet and lifestyle. There is scarcity of data concerning the dietary and lifestyle behaviors and weight status of students in the health field in North Lebanon. To investigate these data, a cross-sectional survey was conducted including 369 health sciences students aged 18–25 chosen from four public and private universities in North Lebanon. Data were collected using a standardized interview questionnaire to determine sociodemographic, dietary, and lifestyle behaviors, appetite changes, stress related dietary behaviors, and food cravings, as well as self-perceptions of dietary adequacy, physical activity levels, and weight status. Body mass index was assessed. Results had revealed significant differences in some of the dietary consumption patterns and weight status among seniors compared to juniors. However, the overall prevalence of overweight and obesity recorded 32.2% and the dietary consumption patterns fall below recommended levels. Multivariate regression analysis showed that parental obesity, comfort eating, increased appetite, food cravings, and stressful eating were associated with increased risk of obesity while a healthy diet score was associated with decreased risk. The study's findings call for tailoring culture specific intervention programs which enable students to improve their dietary and lifestyle behaviors and control stress.

Country and Gender-Specific Achievement of Healthy Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines: Latent Class Analysis of 6266 University Students in Egypt, Libya, and Palestine

“…Our findings support other research that found low fruits and vegetables intake and high fast food consumption in Pakistan [ 26 ], Greece [ 27 ], and Saudi Arabia [ 28 ]. We also agree with Lebanon, where Health Sciences university students’ dietary consumption patterns were below recommended levels [ 10 ]; and with the USA, where university students’ dietary consumption patterns, and knowledge of healthy/unhealthy diet habits needed improvement [ 29 ].…”

“…Similarly, Libyan adolescents had the highest prevalence of overweight (26.6%) across seven Arab countries [ 8 ]. Likewise, in Kuwait, health sciences students had suboptimal diet [ 9 ]; and, in Lebanon, the prevalence of overweight/obese students was 32.2%, and their dietary consumption was below the recommended guidelines [ 10 ]. In Iran, most students needed to improve their diet (only 28.5% had a good diet) [ 11 ]; and, in the United Arab Emirates, students had a high prevalence of consumption of dietary supplements [ 12 ].…”

Lifestyle Habits in Relation to Overweight and Obesity among Saudi Women Attending Health Science Colleges

“…In the present study, however, the consumption of meats and poultry was not assessed, although fast-food consumption was not different between overweight/ obese and nonoverweight/nonobese Saudi college females. However, among health science university students in north Lebanon, a healthy diet score was found to be associated with decreased risk of obesity [40].…”

Breakfast consumption and its relationship to sociodemographic and lifestyle factors of undergraduate students in the School of Health Sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal

“…This finding is similar to that of a Lebanese study, where students in the fifth semester of study consumed breakfast less regularly, compared with those in their first semester of study. 30 A significant number of those who did not consume breakfast were smokers and consumed fast-foods or take-away foods frequently (between four and six times a week). This is consistent with previous studies, where breakfast-skipping was linked to undesirable lifestyle behaviour, such as smoking 31,32 and alcohol consumption.…”