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

Amal Ismael Abdelhafez, Fahima Akhter, Abdulrahman Abdulhadi Alsultan, Sahbanathul Missiriya Jalal and Ayub Ali
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Amal Ismael Abdelhafez: Department of Nursing, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Fahima Akhter: Department of Nursing, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Abdulrahman Abdulhadi Alsultan: College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Sahbanathul Missiriya Jalal: Department of Nursing, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Ayub Ali: Department of Family & Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 23, 1-12

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.

Keywords: dietary practice; healthy diet; adherence; university students; barriers; eating habits (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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