Cicekli Ipek, Gokce Eskin Serap
Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Acibadem University, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Acibadem University, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Front Public Health. 2025 Jan 8;12:1484164. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1484164. eCollection 2024.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a major global concern. This study aimed to examine the prevalence and co-occurrence of lifestyle risk factors among university students.
This analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted between January and April 2022. A total of 485 students were included in the study. Lifestyle risk variables for NCDs included physical inactivity, low fruit and vegetable consumption, alcohol use, tobacco smoking, being overweight/obese, and sugar sweetened beverages consumption.
Our results showed that the most frequent risk factor was insufficient physical activity (89.2%), followed by low vegetable (70.5%) and fruit consumption (58.9%). Overall, more than half of the students (51.2%) had four or more risk factors highlighting the urgent need for preventive interventions. The co-occurrence of four or more lifestyle risk factors was significantly greater in students at private universities (aOR: 2.01 95% CI: 1.2; 3.35), those living in student homes (aOR: 3.57 95% CI: 1.96; 6.5), and those with fast food preferences when eating outside (a0R: 2.53 95% CI: 1.62; 3.96).
Targeted university-based interventions, such as promoting physical activity, providing affordable nutritious meals, and educating students on healthy lifestyles, are essential to reduce non-communicable disease (NCD) risk among students. Early action fosters lifelong healthy habits, supports healthy aging, and reduces healthcare costs. Future research should focus on refining these strategies to maximize their impact on university populations.
非传染性疾病是全球主要关注的问题。本研究旨在调查大学生中生活方式风险因素的患病率及其共存情况。
本分析性横断面研究于2022年1月至4月进行。共有485名学生纳入研究。非传染性疾病的生活方式风险变量包括身体活动不足、水果和蔬菜摄入量低、饮酒、吸烟、超重/肥胖以及饮用含糖饮料。
我们的结果显示，最常见的风险因素是身体活动不足（89.2%），其次是蔬菜摄入量低（70.5%）和水果摄入量低（58.9%）。总体而言，超过一半的学生（51.2%）有四种或更多风险因素，这突出表明迫切需要采取预防干预措施。私立大学的学生、住在学生宿舍的学生以及外出就餐时有快餐偏好的学生中，四种或更多生活方式风险因素的共存情况显著更高（调整后比值比：2.01，95%置信区间：1.2；3.35），（调整后比值比：3.57，95%置信区间：1.96；6.5），（调整后比值比：2.53，95%置信区间：1.62；3.96）。
以大学为基础的针对性干预措施，如促进身体活动、提供价格合理的营养膳食以及对学生进行健康生活方式教育，对于降低学生中非传染性疾病风险至关重要。早期行动有助于养成终身健康习惯、支持健康老龄化并降低医疗成本。未来的研究应侧重于完善这些策略，以最大限度地提高其对大学生群体的影响。
