Dietary Habits, Lifestyle Pattern and Obesity Among Young Saudi University Students

Objective: To investigate dietary habits, lifestyle pattern and obesity in young university students.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed at the Rabigh campus of King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from March to May 2016, and comprised healthy male students. A close-ended questionnaire was filled by all students about their dietary habits and lifestyle pattern and the lipid profile, blood glucose levels and body mass index was determined. The participants were selected by convenience sampling method. SPSS 21 was used for data analysis.

Results: Of the 116 participants, 34(29.3%) were obese, 34(29.3%) were overweight and 48(41.4%) had normal body mass index. Overall, 66(57%) participants were taking 3 to 4 fast food meals weekly and was also taking junk food at least once in a day. Also, 50(43%) participants were using soft/energy drink more than once per day. Besides, 82(70.7%) respondents were spending 3 to 4 hours daily in watching TV, using the Internet or PlayStation. Significant differences were observed for low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (p=0.02 and p=0.006, respectively) among overweight and obese subjects as compared to those having normal weight. The majority of the overweight and obese participants' had experienced shame or other uncomfortable feelings and had a negative impact on their activity (p<0.001).

Conclusions: Dietary habits and lifestyle of the majority of the participants were not up to the mark and the obesity prevalence was common.