INFLUENCE OF DIETARY HABITS OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ON BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) (A COMPARATIVE STUDY AMONG EGYPT AND SAUDI ARABIA AND TURKEY)

Abstract

Dietary habits and practices or eating habits observed in adolescents may have detrimental consequences on their health. The adverse health consequences that may result from excessive intake of soft drinks, sweet drinks and fast foods consumption; inadequate intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grain foods, dairy products and other calcium-fortified foods; reduced levels of exercise ; and increasing obesity rates indicate a need to revisit the diet and lifestyle characteristics of this age group. This study aims to determine the effect of dietary habits of university students on the weight excess or deficiency (BMI) in different cultures as a comparative study among Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. A survey was carried out using a questionnaire to consider the dietary habits of 450 university students (150 from of each region). BMI (weight/height2, kg/m2) was measured (all measurements were taken under the same conditions at study regions) and used as index of relative weight. The results indicated that 50.67 % of participants in Egypt, especially female students, were overweight while nearly half of Saudi Arabian students (43.33%) were underweight and the majority of the sample in Turkey (75.3%) was normal weight. On the other hand the results found many of dietary habits which lead to unhealthy bodies among the university students like most often skipped breakfast despite its all benefits. The study suggested that increasing of educational nutritional programs which introduce healthy pattern of food and diet will improve the dietary habits of university students. (English) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]