Factors Associated with Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Dietary Habits among University Students in Lebanon

Abstract

Although the Mediterranean Diet has been acknowledged as the best overall diet for the year 2020, it has seen a decrease in its adherence over the past years. This is due to several reasons, one of which is the gradual shift to a more westernized diet with all the influences that occur especially on university students whose dietary choices set a path for future dietary habits. The aim of this study is to check the level of adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and frequency of breakfast consumption among university students in Lebanon and check whether they are influenced by sociodemographic, anthropometric, dietary knowledge, or academic data. A cross-sectional questionnaire was electronically sent to randomly selected students (210 females and 93 males) from different universities across Lebanon, aged between 18 and 25 years old. The questionnaire was filled online, and all data were self-reported. The Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED) was used as a tool to evaluate adherence to the Mediterranean Diet. The results showed that 18.8% of respondents had high adherence to the Mediterranean Diet. Students who reported always consuming breakfast and not skipping meals had significantly higher adherence to the MD. Furthermore, students with lower BMI and higher KIDMED scores had significantly more correct answers on the nutritional knowledge questions. In addition, there was a significant difference in the average KIDMED scores between different GPA categories, most notably when comparing high and poor MD adherence; students with excellent GPA scores had higher adherence to the MD than those with poor GPA scores. In conclusion, nutrition awareness in a university setting is very important since it may positively affect academic outcomes and may be the last chance to teach and engrave healthy eating patterns to a large scale of students.

Increased Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Higher Efficacy Beliefs Are Associated with Better Academic Achievement: A Longitudinal Study of High School Adolescents in Lebanon

“…In past research, favorable dietary intake characterized by consumption of fruits and vegetables, home-made meals, nuts, and adequate vitamin intake was found to predict greater academic performance [ 59 , 60 , 61 ], while a Western dietary pattern and consumption of nutrient-poor and refined food were predictive of poorer performance [ 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 ]. Our results are also in accordance with findings of previous studies that have explored adherence to the Mediterranean diet and academic achievement among Lebanese high school adolescents [ 43 , 66 ] and university students [ 67 ] showing that higher adherence was related to higher academic scores. The Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthiest eating patterns and higher adherence has consistently been linked with better overall health and cognitive functioning [ 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 ].…”

Inverse Association Between the Mediterranean Diet and COVID-19 Risk in Lebanon: A Case-Control Study

“…Among our sample of Lebanese adults, the biggest proportion of the participants in both of the study groups had an average adherence to the MD. Only 22.6% of the total sample had a high level of adherence to this diet, which gives a recall to two studies done in Lebanon that found that 24 and 18.8% of the adults included in their samples had a high adherence to the MD (21,22). Data-driven methods allowed the identification of three diets, namely the western, plant-based and juice, fiber, and fish diets.…”

Factors Related to Diet Quality: A Cross-Sectional Study of 1055 University Students

“…Many variables can exert influence on the ways that university students nourish themselves, including individual factors (e.g., the lack of self-discipline or time constraints), support networks (e.g., the influence of peers or the lack of parental monitoring), the local environment (e.g., accessibility or the appeal and price of certain food products) as well as the macro environment (e.g., advertising) [ 19 , 20 ]. Other sociodemographic variables have also been connected to the DQ of university students, including the following: living alone [ 21 ], gender [ 22 ], satisfaction with one’s studies and academic performance [ 23 ], lack of information [ 24 ] as well as anxiety and depression [ 25 ].…”