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- Title
Dietary habits and health among university students living at or away from home in southern Italy.
- Authors
BAGORDO, FRANCESCO; GRASSI, TIZIANA; SERIO, FRANCESCA; IDOLO, ADELE; DE DONNO, ANTONELLA
- Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the eating habits of a group of university students, to highlight any differences between students living at and away from home and to examine aspects of their health and nutritional status. One hundred and ninety-three undergraduate students at the University of Salento (Lecce, Italy) completed a self-administered food habits questionnaire divided into three major sections: demographic, social and cultural characteristics, eating habits, health information. Students living at home got more physical exercise and consumed higher quantities of cooked vegetables, fish, meat products, chips, bread/cereals, pulses, cooked meals and sandwiches. In contrast, students living away from home were characterized by higher consumption of raw vegetables, beer and alcoholic drinks, raw/cold meals, frozen meals and ready meals. Moreover, students living alone reported a greater number of episodes of gastroenteritis and perceived that they had a larger body mass. Student lifestyles and living arrangements were associated with a shift away from the Mediterranean diet and would appear to expose students to the risk of food-borne illness. This appeared more evident among students living away from home, for whom the assumption of primary responsibility for food shopping and preparation can lead to unhealthy dietary habits.
- Subjects
SOUTHERN Italy; HEALTH of college students; DIETARY supplements; FOOD habits; MEDITERRANEAN diet; NUTRITIONAL status
- Publication
Journal of Food & Nutrition Research, 2013, Vol 52, Issue 3, p164
- ISSN
1336-8672
- Publication type
Academic Journal