Dietary patterns and associated lifestyle factors among university students in Qatar

Objective

We aimed to investigate the association between university students’ dietary patterns, their demographics and lifestyle in a cross-sectional study in Qatar.

Participants

370 students in eight universities in Qatar enrolled between February 2017 and February 2018.

Methods

Based on a structured questionnaire, dietary patterns were identified using principal component analysis, and their associations with student characteristics were assessed using logistic regression.

Results

Four dietary patterns were identified. The ‘fast food’ pattern was associated with being younger and male (p-values ≤ 0.1). The ‘traditional diet’ pattern was associated with not skipping meals or eating when bored (p-values = 0.1). The ‘healthy diet’ pattern was associated with regular exercise and having time to eat healthy foods (p-values ≤ 0.01). The ‘protein shake’ pattern was associated with being male and engaging in more vigorous physical activity (p-values ≤ 0.01).

Conclusions

Our findings provide a roadmap for the prioritization of population-specific interventions in university students within Qatar and the region

Other Information

Published in: Journal of American College Health
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
See article on publisher's website: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2021.1996374