Alolabi Homam, Alchallah Mhd Obai, Mohsen Fatema, Marrawi Marah, Alourfi Zaynab
Faculty of Medicine, Syrian Private University, Damascus, Syria.
Department of Statistics, Syrian Private University, Damascus, Syria.
Heliyon. 2022 May 16;8(5):e09451. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09451. eCollection 2022 May.
Syrian eating habits are trending towards westernized patterns that are high in carbohydrates, fats, and meat. This accompanied by an increasingly sedentary lifestyle has affected young adults' dietary habits. As a consequence, obesity and overweight young adults are significantly increasing in prevalence. This study aims to assess the pattern of eating habits and their relation with psychosocial factors among university students. A cross-sectional study was conducted among Syrian Private University students using a self-administrated questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 3 sections: socio-demographic characteristics, eating habits, and psychosocial factors. Each item from the eating habits questionnaire was scored "1" if the response was healthy or "0" if the response was unhealthy. All items were summed and the total score was obtained for each student. Students' scores were summed and divided by the total number of students to deduce the total mean of eating habits. Hierarchical multivariate linear regression was used to evaluate factors associated significantly with eating habit score and psychological factors. Of 728 students included in the study 398 (54.7%) were females. Overweight and obese participants represented 154 (21.4%) and 49 (6.8%) respectively. Around 316 (43.4%) were smokers and 135 (18.5%) drank alcohol. Only 259 (36.0%) students reported they adopted healthy eating habits. Of them, 233 (32%) and 306 (42%) ate meals and breakfast regularly respectively. Participants' had a moderate eating habits score; the mean total was 5.96 (SD ± 1.95). Multivariate analysis revealed that non-smokers ( < 0.001), exercising ( = 0.002), living with family ( < 0.001), and eating because of feeling happy ( = 0.014) were factors significantly associated with eating habits score and psychological factors. While R adjusted were 0.109 and 0.117 in the first and second model, the total model accounted for 13.2% of variance. Half of the students demonstrated unhealthy eating habits. The identified socio-demographic and psychological factors were significantly affecting students' eating habits. These findings can be used to provide targeted lifestyle modification advice via health promotion programs towards these specific groups.
叙利亚人的饮食习惯正趋向于西方化模式，碳水化合物、脂肪和肉类的摄入量较高。与此同时，久坐不动的生活方式日益普遍，这影响了年轻人的饮食习惯。结果，肥胖和超重的年轻人患病率显著上升。本研究旨在评估大学生的饮食习惯模式及其与心理社会因素的关系。对叙利亚私立大学的学生进行了一项横断面研究，采用自填式问卷。问卷包括三个部分：社会人口学特征、饮食习惯和心理社会因素。饮食习惯问卷中的每个项目，如果回答是健康的则得“1”分，如果回答是不健康的则得“0”分。将所有项目相加，得出每个学生的总分。将学生的分数相加，再除以学生总数，得出饮食习惯的总平均分。采用分层多元线性回归来评估与饮食习惯得分和心理因素显著相关的因素。在纳入研究的728名学生中，398名（54.7%）为女性。超重和肥胖参与者分别占154名（21.4%）和49名（6.8%）。约316名（43.4%）学生吸烟，135名（18.5%）学生饮酒。只有259名（36.0%）学生报告他们养成了健康的饮食习惯。其中，233名（32%）和306名（42%）学生分别定期用餐和吃早餐。参与者的饮食习惯得分中等；总平均分是5.96（标准差±1.95）。多变量分析显示，不吸烟（<0.001）、锻炼（=0.002）、与家人同住（<0.001）以及因感到快乐而进食（=0.014）是与饮食习惯得分和心理因素显著相关的因素。在第一个和第二个模型中，调整后的R分别为0.109和0.117，整个模型解释了13.2%的方差。一半的学生表现出不健康的饮食习惯。所确定的社会人口学和心理因素显著影响学生的饮食习惯。这些发现可用于通过健康促进项目为这些特定群体提供有针对性的生活方式改变建议。
