Eating Patterns Among Moroccan Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Eating Patterns Among Moroccan Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Eating Patterns Among Moroccan Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study Oumaima Magouri, Hanae Rachedi, Imane Assarrar, Fatima Zahra Najioui, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6969135/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Eating habits are an important health issue for the well-being of medical students. The objective of this study was to uncover eating behavior patterns among medical students and to explore their associations with sociodemographic, socioeconomic and psychological factors. Methods This cross-sectional study included 797 medical students aged 17–26years old from the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy. The participants were in their first to sixth academic years of study. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire that included inquiries about sociodemographic characteristics, eating habits, and psychological factors. Results The eating habits score was notably higher among local students, as well as among students without scholarships, those living with their families, having fathers who are employed, and those who are engaged in physical activity. The multivariate analysis indicated that the score was lower among students who frequently reported encountering psychological issues. Conclusion Most of the students in this study had unhealthy eating habits, which furthermore altered during the transition to medical studies. University students should benefit from nutrition education programs to encourage healthy diets. eating disorder medical students healthy eating vegetables Fruits physical activity Figures Figure 1 Introduction Healthy eating is considered one of the most effective ways to improve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is a key factor in preventing obesity and metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular diseases. A healthy eating regimen requires a daily balanced consumption of fruits and vegetables, rich in minerals and vitamins [1,2 ]. It also has implications for rational eating habits and behavior, which are beneficial for supporting and maintaining physical and psychological balance. Eating patterns are widely affected by various individual and collective (social and environmental) factors [ 3 ]. Medical students are usually expected to be knowledgeable about healthy eating and living since they will be asked to give nutritional hygiene advice and to show an example of good eating habits [ 4 ]. However, the burden of medical studies, the stress of university life, the lack of time, and the constraints of internships and examinations can negatively influence their nutrition. Therefore, they most likely don’t have time to prepare healthy meals and to exercise [ 4 , 5 ]. As a result, they tend to have unhealthy eating patterns, such as eating in restaurants, consuming fast food, or even skipping meals [ 6 , 7 ]. Few studies have focused on evaluating eating habits among university students in our country [ 8 – 10 ]. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are no actual studies among medical students. To address this crucial issue, we conducted a study that aimed to determine the prevalence of altered eating habits among students of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy and to identify the factors associated with these disorders. Material and Methods 1- Study design : This is a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out between March and May of 2023. It included 845 students from the 1st year to the 6th year of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, in the oriental region of the country. The procedure adopted for this study consisted of data collection in the form of an anonymous self-administered questionnaire developed by the medical team of the Endocrinology-Diabetology and Nutrition Department (Fig. 1 ). 2- Sample size : The initial sample size was calculated by the Cochran formula as 327 students with a 95% confidence interval. However, the number of responders exceeded the calculated number. A total of 845 local and foreign students joined the study. The distribution of the studied population is resumed in Fig. 1 . Inclusion criteria : Students enrolled at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy for the academic year of 2022/2023. Students who have given their oral consent to participate in this study. Exclusion criteria : Pregnant students. Students with psychiatric illness. Students in the 7th year due to their unavailability at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy and the University Hospital Center. Students who did not give their oral consent to participate in this study. 3- Data collection tool : The instrument used in our study was an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. It consisted of 4 sections of questions about sociodemographic data, lifestyle, eating habits, and psychological aspects. The first part included socio-demographic data such as age, gender, nationality, academic year, marital status, residence, chronic illnesses, the use of medications, whether the parents were separated, the profession of the parents, scholarship, weight in kilograms, and height in centimeters to measure BMI. We used the WHO BMI cut-off to classify the BMI as underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (18.5–24.9 kg/m2), overweight (25.0-29.9 kg/m2), and obesity (BMI ≥ 30.0 kg/m2) [ 11 , 12 ]. The second part of the questionnaire involved questions about the student's lifestyle like physical activity while specifying the type and frequency, smoking, consumption of alcohol and drugs, and also questions about using particular diets to lose weight. The third part consisted of detailed nutritional facts including questions about the number of meals per day, time and places of meals, the frequency of consumption of fruits, vegetables, fish, red meat, and poultry, as well as consumption of fiber-rich foods, dairy products, and water intake. The response to this section of questions was scored as 0 for unhealthy responses and 1 for healthy ones. Some responses were scored from 0 to 3 according to the degree of healthiness. This scoring system was based on the recommendations of the WHO for a healthy diet [ 11 , 12 ]. The total sum was calculated for each participant. A score of this section is rated from 0 to 32 as the maximal score. The threshold score of 26 was used to assess the healthiness of the students’ diet. Two categories of students were established; one encompassing individual whose score exceeded 26, denoting adherence to healthy dietary habits, and the other including those whose score fell below 26, indicative of an unhealthy eating pattern. The fourth section was composed of six questions about psychological factors that may affect the eating habits of students. The questions were from the compulsive eating scale (CES) [ 10 ], which is used to assess the uncontrolled eating habits of students. It explored factors such as eating because of being lonely, upset, nervous, bored, or happy, and having no control over food at all, as well as eating so much that one's stomach hurts. The responses to these questions were "never", "often", or "sometimes". 4- Procedures : The survey was conducted either during medical clerkships at the University Hospital Center or during pre-clinical courses at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy. The necessary arrangements were taken in coordination with the administration of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine. The objectives and advantages of this research were explained to the students before filling out the questionnaire. Oral consent was obtained from the participants before debuting the survey. They were assured that the information collected would be anonymous and confidential. 5- Statistical Analysis : Data were analyzed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 (IBM, Armonk, NY). The results were expressed as numbers (%) for categorized variables or as mean þ = standard error of the mean (minimum-maximum) for continuous variables. T-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Test Khi-Carre, Fischer’s exact Test, and binary logistic regression tests were used to study the correlation between demographic variables, psychological factors, and unhealthy eating habits. A 95% confidence interval and a p-value ≤ 0.05 were used. The significance level was set at a p-value ≤ 0.05. Results The eating habits score revealed that only 10.7% of students achieved a score equal to or higher than 26, while the remaining 89.3% scored below 26, the scores ranged from a minimum of 7 to a maximum of 28, with a median score of 18.9 ± 3.9, these results showed that the majority of students had unhealthy eating habits. Sociodemographic features: The socio-demographic characteristics are summarized in Table 1 . Among the 797 students who responded to the questionnaire established in this study, the median age was 20.72±1.94 years, ranging from 17 to 26 years. The majority were females (58.4%). Most of the participants were natives (93.9%) and almost all of them were single (97.9%). It was noted that more than half of students lived at home with their parents (50.6%) and only 21.3% lived alone. Chronic illnesses were observed in 8.9% of respondents, with a percentage of 10.5% of participants taking medication. A normal BMI was found in 68.5% of students, 14.5% were underweight, 14.8% had an overweight and 2.2% were obese (Table 1 ). Regarding the lifestyle, we summarized the relevant data in Table 2 . In our population of medical students, 70.2% practiced regular physical activity with a variable frequency ranging from once to more than three times a week. The most frequently exercised activity was Soccer (19.4%). The majority of students didn't smoke (97%), with low percentages of alcohol and drug intake (2.5% and 1.1% respectively). Consumption of these last three substances started during their medical studies in 2.8% of students (Table 2 ). Some sociodemographic conditions of the participants significantly influenced the eating habits score. Nationality, for instance, natives had healthier eating habits than foreigners (p = 0.046). The score was also significantly higher among students with employed fathers compared to those without (p = 0.031). Students receiving state scholarships had bad eating habits (p = 0.001), while lodging conditions were an important factor influencing their eating habits, with a higher score among students living with their parents (p = 0.050). Moreover, the score was higher for students who were physically active than for those who were sedentary (p = 0.011) (Tables 1 & 2 ). Table 1: Sociodemographic characteristics of respondents and their association with eating patterns N(%) p-value Gender: Female Male 466 (58.4%) 331(41.5%) 0.941 Nationality: Natives Foreigners 749 (93.9%) 48 (6.02%) 0.046 Marital status: Single Married Divorced 780 (97.9%) 12 (1.5%) 5 (0.6%) 0.555 Grade level: First year Second year Third year Fourth year Fifth year Sixth year 158 (19.8%) 133(16.7%) 135(16.9%) 139 (17.4%) 138(17.3%) 94 (11.7%) 0.499 Repeating the year: Yes Which year? No 22 (2.8%) First year:2 Second year:8 Third year: 5 Fourth year: 6 774 (97.2%) 1.000 Lodging: Alone With parents University residence Others 169(21.3%) 401(50.6%) 16 (2%) 28(3.5%) 0.050 Taking medications: Yes No 84 (10.5%) 711(89.4%) 0.067 Mother's profession: Housekeeper Public employee Shopkeeper Private industry Craftsmanship Others 508 (63.8%) 198 (24.9%) 20 (2.5%) 41 (5.2%) 2 (0.3%) 27 (3.4%) 0.084 Father’s profession: Unemployed Public employee Shopkeeper Private industry Craftsmanship Others 21 (2.6%) 418 (52.5%) 131 (16.5%) 124 (15.6%) 12 (1.5%) 90 (11.3%) 0.031 Scholarship: Yes No 328 (41.4%) 464 (58.6%) 0.001 Parents separated: Yes No 37 (4.6%) 758 (95.3%) 0.261 Bmi (kg/m2): Normal Leanness Overweight Obesity 537(68.5%) 114(14.5%) 116(14.8%) 16(2.2%) 1.000 N(%): number of students (percentage), BMI: body mass index. Table 2 The students’ lifestyle data and their association with eating habits Characteristics Value p-value Physical activity : Percentage : Frequency : Type : 0.022 70.2% Once per week: 22.4% Foot:19.4% strength training: 7.7% Swimming: 1.3% Others: 22% Twice per week :24.5% Three times:22.2% More than three times per week: 30.9% Smoking consumption : Smoker Ex-smoker Non-Smoker 0.527 1% 2% 97% Alcohol consumption : Yes No 2.5% 97,5% 0.567 Drug consumption : Yes No 1.1% 98.9% 0.495 Eating behaviors: We observed that 43.3% of students took three regular meals including breakfast, lunch, and dinner, in most situations at their own homes. Concerning the frequency of meals, the principal meals are generally eaten daily: 54.6% for breakfast, 85% for lunch, and 54.7% for dinner, with an occasional evening coffee (52.4%). Snacking was taken daily by 23.1% of students and occasionally among 76.3%. We noticed that most of the students had low consumption of vegetables and fruit at only one intake per day, at 56.3% and 60.3% respectively, the consumption of high-fiber foods once a day for 42.7%, and dairy products once a day for 53.7%. Regarding their meat consumption, we have noted that 36% of students consumed 200g per week of red meat, while the consumption of white meat was 50g per week for more than half of students (54.2%). Fish was eaten on average once a week by 58% of respondents, while 8.3% did not consume it. A satisfactory water intake was observed in 70% of respondents. We have observed that more than half of the respondents (53.9%) had altered their eating habits in terms of quality and quantity after their integration into medical studies. Finally, most of the students didn't eat even if they were hungry because of the lack of time (Table 3 ). Table 3 Eating habits of respondents Characteristics Value Number of meals : One meal Two meals Three meals More than four meals 1.5% 16.9% 43.3% 38.2% Meal places : Breakfast Lunch Evening coffee Dinner Canteen 12% 4.6% 5.6% 0.4% Home 81.3% 89.7% 85.5% 95.4% On the way 1.9% 0% 1.2% 0.3% Coffee/Restaurant 3.6% 5.5% 5.4% 3.9% You don't eat even if you are hungry because Time constraints Fighting obesity and overweight Problem of money 73.5% 13.6% 12.9% Eating habits have changed during the integration to the medical study? Altered in quality Altered in quantity Altered in quantity and quality Improved 31.7% 22.2% 53.9% 19.7% Frequency of fruit consumption No fruit consumption Once per day Twice per day Three times or more per day 5.1% 60.3% 23.5% 6.8% Frequency of vegetables consumption No vegetable consumption Once per day Twice per day Three times or more per day 0.5% 56.3% 29.7% 12.4% Frequency of fish consumption No fish consumption One time per month Once per week Twice or more per week 8.3% 4.2% 58% 22.8% Frequency of meat consumption (1portion = 50g) No meat consumption 1portion per week 2 portions per week 3 portions or more per week 2.5% 26.5% 36% 31.9% Frequency of poultry consumption (1portion = 50g) No poultry consumption 1portion per week 2 portions per week 3 portions or more per week 1.5% 54.2% 24.3% 16.2% Frequency of consumption of food rich in fiber Once per day Twice per day Three times or more per day 42.7% 36.1% 18.9% Consumption of dairy products per day (100cc Milk = 2portions of cheese = yogurt) No dairy products intake Once per day Twice per day Three times or more per day 3.9% 53.7% 29.4% 9.5% The most frequently consumed oil Essential oil Vegetable oil 30.4% 69.6% Frequency of snacking Never Sometimes Daily 0.6% 76.3% 23.1% Water intake (liters/day) 2.5L 30% 70% Frequency of meals Never Sometimes Daily Breakfast 5.1% 40.4% 54.6% Lunch 2.5% 12.5% 85% Evening Coffee 12.4% 52.4% 35.2% Dinner 9% 36.3% 54.7% Total Score of Eating Habits:Number of students ( %) or = 26 85 ( 89.3%) Psychological factors: Around 47% of the participants have declared that they sometimes eat when they feel happy, 51.4% of them sometimes eat when they feel bored, and 47% of respondents reported that they often eat when they are lonely. Meanwhile, 40.2% are often completely out of control when it comes to food. In terms of excessive eating, 42.7% of respondents declared that they often overeat to the point of stomachache. We have also found that nervousness affected 17.4% of students who eat often when they have this feeling, while 38% eat sometimes when they are irritated. The studied psychological factors and their association with eating habits are summarized in Table 4 . We have observed that students who consistently responded 'never' to questions about psychological factors exhibited higher eating habits scores compared to those who responded 'often'. Additionally, a statistically significant correlation was identified among students who reported eating because of feelings of happiness (p = 0.02) (Table 4 ). Table 4 Psychological factors and their association with the eating habits of respondents Never : Sometimes : Often : p-value: Eat because of feeling lonely 27.2% 47% 25.8% 0.158 Feel completely out of control when it comes to food 42.8% 40.2% 16.8% 0.110 Eat so much until your stomach hurts 49.4% 42.7% 7.8% 0.565 Eat because of feeling upset or nervous 44.7% 38% 17.4% 0.480 Eat because of feeling bored 26.3% 51.4% 22.3% 0.662 Eat because of feeling happy 16% 47% 37% 0.026 Discussion The purpose of this study was to evaluate medical students eating patterns and to explore the correlation between sociodemographic, psychological characteristics, and eating habits. The eating habits score indicated that the majority of students (89.3%) had a score of 26 or less, signifying inadequate dietary practices. Additionally over half of the respondents (53.9%) noted alterations in both the quantity and quality of their dietary behaviors after starting their medical studies.Within the scope of this study, it was observed that foreigners exhibit unhealthy dietary habits in comparison to natives. This outcome can be explained by the fact that local students demonstrate greater financial and familial stability compared to foreigners. Nevertheless, this association has not been identified in previous studies, such as the one conducted by H. Alzaharine in Saudi Arabia [ 2 , 3 ]. It was additionally discovered that students whose fathers were employed exhibited notably higher scores of eating habits, explained by better income. In our study, over half of the students (54.1%) live with their families; this factor has positively impacted their eating habits which can be attributed to the healthy preparation of meals by their families. The same finding was reported in the study conducted by K. Bantan et al. [ 13 ] which involved 444 students and found a significant association between healthy eating habits and living with family. In our study, it was also noted that students receiving state scholarships often demonstrated unhealthy dietary habits, potentially influenced by the accessibility of fast-food choices. Seventy percent of the students practiced physical activity, with 30.9% engaged in activities more than three times per week, encompassing various types such as weight training, swimming, and soccer. Indeed, physical activity is indispensable for maintaining a good health. Global studies suggest that the WHO recommends adults to either participate in a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week or involve in at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity weekly [ 14 ]. Some studies conducted in Malaysian and Chinese universities have demonstrated a notable correlation between tobacco, alcohol consumption and unhealthy dietary habits [ 15 , 16 ]. However, our study did not identify this association, possibly due to the likelihood that these students did not disclose their consumption of such products, given that the subject is regarded as taboo in our society. Concerning dietary patterns, our research unveiled that over a third of students (43.3%) adhere to a tripartite meal structure (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). Similar findings were observed among students from Saudi Arabia (49.8%), Japan (59.7%), and Lebanon (61.4%) [ 17 – 19 ]. Regarding the consumption of vegetables and fruits, the WHO suggests a daily intake of at least five portions or 400 grams of fruits and vegetables, due to their high content of vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, and their antioxidant effects [ 20 ]. Our study revealed that the majority of students do not adhere to the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables. In fact, we found that 65.4% and 56.8% of students, respectively, consumed insufficient amounts of fruit and vegetables (less than or equal to one portion per day) .These results are consistent with those of a study conducted by Musaiger et al. [ 21 ] showing that only 26.3% of students in Bahrain consumed five portions of fruits and vegetables daily. Similar results were also observed in other studies, such as one conducted at King Faisal University in Al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia, which found that only 22% of students met the daily recommended intake [ 18 ]. However, research on university students in South-East Asia and the Mediterranean region has shown higher rates of fruit and vegetable consumption, particularly among Chinese students (80%), all students in Sri Lanka, and 51% of students in Lebanon [ 22 ]. The limited intake of fruits and vegetables observed in our study can be explained by the tendency to opt for quick-prep dishes that don’t include vegetables. Concerning dairy products, it is recommended to consume them at a frequency of one to two portions of cheese per day, or 400 to 500 ml of milk per day .Our study indicates that 83.4% of students adhere to this recommendation. These products are known to have a beneficial effect on bone metabolism, and low-fat products are associated with a reduction in hypertension, stroke, and the risk of type 2 diabetes [ 23 ]. Our study showed that students who answered "never" to a variety of psychological questions already cited in Table 4 , had a higher eating habit score, these results were observed in H.Alzahrani's study, confirming the negative impact of these psychological factors on students' eating habits[ 2 ]. Furthermore, our study found that 80.3% of the students judged that their diet had become unbalanced in quantity and quality after integrating the medical course. This could be explained by the irregular lifestyle, the lack of time, stress, and workload. Many students perceive attending a university or other higher education establishment as a source of stress. The behavioral effects of stress can affect eating habits. Individuals residing in high-stress environments often resort to increased food consumption as a means of coping with stress [ 24 – 26 ]. Therefore, they might adopt unhealthy dietary practices, such as indulging in fast food, sugary beverages, and foods rich in fats. Introducing stress-management techniques within medical universities could potentially benefit the health and well-being of students [ 27 ]. Increased awareness of dietary guidelines appears to be associated with healthier eating habits, as indicated by a study conducted on higher education students. Those with better eating habits demonstrated higher nutritional knowledge [ 28 – 29 ]. Therefore, we should encourage and establish nutrition education programs that inspire university students to embrace a healthy diet, which can then be passed on to their future patients. The strengths of our study include being the first in our country to investigate the eating habits of medical students, as well as the substantial number of participants. Our study has some limitations. The lack of anthropometric measurements of the students due to the large number of participants. Also, the monocentric design of the study makes our results non-representative of all medical students in our country. Conclusion Most of the students in our study had unhealthy eating habits, impacted by different social and psychological factors. Moreover, these eating patterns underwent alterations during the transition to medical faculty. This underscores the need to encourage students to adopt healthier lifestyle choices and dietary habits. Abbreviations WHO: World Health Organization BMI: Body mass index Declarations Ethics: The local ethics committee for biomedical research of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy approved the study design (Project 03/2023). The study design have been in accordance with th ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declataration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from all authors for the publication of the manuscript. All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article. Consent publication: Not Applicable Authors’ contribution: Dr Oumaima Magouri wrote the manuscript and was involved in collecting and analyzing the data. Dr. Hanae Rachedi, Dr. Imane Assarrar, and Dr. Fatima Zahra Najioui helped in writing the manuscript and data collection. Pr. Nisrine Bouichrat, Pr. Siham Rouf revised the manuscript. Pr. Hanane Latrech supervised the redaction, revised, and approved the final draft of the manuscript Acknowledgments: The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Mohammed Amine Bouazzaoui and Pr. Naima Abda for their help in the statistical analysis of data . Conflicts of interest: Authors declare no conflicts of interest. Funding: The authors did not receive any funding for this paper. References Nelson MC, Story M, Larson NI, Neumark-Sztainer D, Lytle LA. Emerging adulthood and college-aged youth: an overlooked age for weight-related behavior change. Obesity (Silver Spring). oct 2008;16(10):2205-11. Alzahrani SH, Saeedi AA, Baamer MK, Shalabi AF, Alzahrani AM. Eating Habits Among Medical Students at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Int J Gen Med [Internet]. 5 mars 2020 [cité 5 oct 2023];13:77-88. Disponible sur: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7062392/ King KA, Mohl K, Bernard AL, Vidourek RA. 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Stress, eating and the reward system. Physiol Behav. 24 juill 2007;91(4):449-58. Torres SJ, Nowson CA. Relationship between stress, eating behavior, and obesity. Nutrition. 2007;23(11-12):887-94. Ganasegeran K, Al-Dubai SA, Qureshi AM, Al-abed A abed A, AM R, Aljunid SM. Social and psychological factors affecting eating habits among university students in a Malaysian medical school: a cross-sectional study. Nutr J [Internet]. 18 juill 2012 [cité 26 mars 2024];11:48. Disponible sur: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3418187/ (PDF) Association between Stress and Dietary Behaviours among Undergraduate Students in Kuwait Gender Differences [Internet]. [cité 27 mars 2024]. Disponible sur: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285697587_Association_between_Stress_and_Dietary_ Behaviours_among_Undergraduate_Students_in_Kuwait_Gender_Differences Kolodinsky J, Harvey-Berino JR, Berlin L, Johnson RK, Reynolds TW. Knowledge of current dietary guidelines and food choice by college students: better eaters have higher knowledge of dietary guidance. J Am Diet Assoc. août 2007;107(8):1409-13. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files Questionnaire.docx BDDNutrition.sav Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. 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1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":24247,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStudy population\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6969135/v1/e6bd9e223a757ebdb53f5ab8.png"},{"id":99789059,"identity":"2ed54a79-522d-43c9-8a67-99dca8f9b123","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-08 12:48:39","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1037749,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6969135/v1/04a9fc67-072a-4a15-b46a-d2678dce2b8d.pdf"},{"id":91839198,"identity":"59fffefa-febd-4d18-9474-0613116d33ee","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-22 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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is a key factor in preventing obesity and metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular diseases. A healthy eating regimen requires a daily balanced consumption of fruits and vegetables, rich in minerals and vitamins [1,2 ]. It also has implications for rational eating habits and behavior, which are beneficial for supporting and maintaining physical and psychological balance. Eating patterns are widely affected by various individual and collective (social and environmental) factors [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMedical students are usually expected to be knowledgeable about healthy eating and living since they will be asked to give nutritional hygiene advice and to show an example of good eating habits [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]. However, the burden of medical studies, the stress of university life, the lack of time, and the constraints of internships and examinations can negatively influence their nutrition. Therefore, they most likely don\u0026rsquo;t have time to prepare healthy meals and to exercise [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e]. As a result, they tend to have unhealthy eating patterns, such as eating in restaurants, consuming fast food, or even skipping meals [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFew studies have focused on evaluating eating habits among university students in our country [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR9\" citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are no actual studies among medical students. To address this crucial issue, we conducted a study that aimed to determine the prevalence of altered eating habits among students of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy and to identify the factors associated with these disorders.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Material and Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan type=\"BoldUnderline\" class=\"BoldUnderline\" name=\"Emphasis\"\u003e1- Study design\u003c/span\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out between March and May of 2023. It included 845 students from the 1st year to the 6th year of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, in the oriental region of the country. The procedure adopted for this study consisted of data collection in the form of an anonymous self-administered questionnaire developed by the medical team of the Endocrinology-Diabetology and Nutrition Department (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan type=\"BoldUnderline\" class=\"BoldUnderline\" name=\"Emphasis\"\u003e2- Sample size\u003c/span\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe initial sample size was calculated by the Cochran formula as 327 students with a 95% confidence interval. However, the number of responders exceeded the calculated number. A total of 845 local and foreign students joined the study. The distribution of the studied population is resumed in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan type=\"Underline\" class=\"Underline\" name=\"Emphasis\"\u003eInclusion criteria\u003c/span\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eStudents enrolled at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy for the academic year of 2022/2023.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003e Students who have given their oral consent to participate in this study.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan type=\"Underline\" class=\"Underline\" name=\"Emphasis\"\u003eExclusion criteria\u003c/span\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003ePregnant students.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eStudents with psychiatric illness.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eStudents in the 7th year due to their unavailability at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy and the University Hospital Center.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eStudents who did not give their oral consent to participate in this study.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan type=\"BoldUnderline\" class=\"BoldUnderline\" name=\"Emphasis\"\u003e3- Data collection tool\u003c/span\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe instrument used in our study was an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. It consisted of 4 sections of questions about sociodemographic data, lifestyle, eating habits, and psychological aspects. The first part included socio-demographic data such as age, gender, nationality, academic year, marital status, residence, chronic illnesses, the use of medications, whether the parents were separated, the profession of the parents, scholarship, weight in kilograms, and height in centimeters to measure BMI. We used the WHO BMI cut-off to classify the BMI as underweight (BMI\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (18.5\u0026ndash;24.9 kg/m2), overweight (25.0-29.9 kg/m2), and obesity (BMI\u0026thinsp;\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;30.0 kg/m2) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe second part of the questionnaire involved questions about the student's lifestyle like physical activity while specifying the type and frequency, smoking, consumption of alcohol and drugs, and also questions about using particular diets to lose weight.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe third part consisted of detailed nutritional facts including questions about the number of meals per day, time and places of meals, the frequency of consumption of fruits, vegetables, fish, red meat, and poultry, as well as consumption of fiber-rich foods, dairy products, and water intake. The response to this section of questions was scored as 0 for unhealthy responses and 1 for healthy ones. Some responses were scored from 0 to 3 according to the degree of healthiness. This scoring system was based on the recommendations of the WHO for a healthy diet [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e]. The total sum was calculated for each participant. A score of this section is rated from 0 to 32 as the maximal score. The threshold score of 26 was used to assess the healthiness of the students\u0026rsquo; diet. Two categories of students were established; one encompassing individual whose score exceeded 26, denoting adherence to healthy dietary habits, and the other including those whose score fell below 26, indicative of an unhealthy eating pattern.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe fourth section was composed of six questions about psychological factors that may affect the eating habits of students. The questions were from the compulsive eating scale (CES) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e], which is used to assess the uncontrolled eating habits of students. It explored factors such as eating because of being lonely, upset, nervous, bored, or happy, and having no control over food at all, as well as eating so much that one's stomach hurts. The responses to these questions were \"never\", \"often\", or \"sometimes\".\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan type=\"BoldUnderline\" class=\"BoldUnderline\" name=\"Emphasis\"\u003e4- Procedures\u003c/span\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe survey was conducted either during medical clerkships at the University Hospital Center or during pre-clinical courses at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy. The necessary arrangements were taken in coordination with the administration of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe objectives and advantages of this research were explained to the students before filling out the questionnaire. Oral consent was obtained from the participants before debuting the survey. They were assured that the information collected would be anonymous and confidential.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan type=\"BoldUnderline\" class=\"BoldUnderline\" name=\"Emphasis\"\u003e5- Statistical Analysis\u003c/span\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eData were analyzed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 (IBM, Armonk, NY). The results were expressed as numbers (%) for categorized variables or as mean \u0026thorn; = standard error of the mean (minimum-maximum) for continuous variables. T-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Test Khi-Carre, Fischer\u0026rsquo;s exact Test, and binary logistic regression tests were used to study the correlation between demographic variables, psychological factors, and unhealthy eating habits. A 95% confidence interval and a p-value\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;0.05 were used. The significance level was set at a p-value\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;0.05.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe eating habits score revealed that only 10.7% of students achieved a score equal to or higher than 26, while the remaining 89.3% scored below 26, the scores ranged from a minimum of 7 to a maximum of 28, with a median score of 18.9\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.9, these results showed that the majority of students had unhealthy eating habits.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSociodemographic features:\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe socio-demographic characteristics are summarized in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. Among the 797 students who responded to the questionnaire established in this study, the median age was 20.72\u0026plusmn;1.94 years, ranging from 17 to 26 years. The majority were females (58.4%). Most of the participants were natives (93.9%) and almost all of them were single (97.9%).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt was noted that more than half of students lived at home with their parents (50.6%) and only 21.3% lived alone. Chronic illnesses were observed in 8.9% of respondents, with a percentage of 10.5% of participants taking medication. A normal BMI was found in 68.5% of students, 14.5% were underweight, 14.8% had an overweight and 2.2% were obese (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRegarding the lifestyle, we summarized the relevant data in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e. In our population of medical students, 70.2% practiced regular physical activity with a variable frequency ranging from once to more than three times a week. The most frequently exercised activity was Soccer (19.4%). The majority of students didn't smoke (97%), with low percentages of alcohol and drug intake (2.5% and 1.1% respectively). Consumption of these last three substances started during their medical studies in 2.8% of students (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSome sociodemographic conditions of the participants significantly influenced the eating habits score. Nationality, for instance, natives had healthier eating habits than foreigners (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.046). The score was also significantly higher among students with employed fathers compared to those without (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.031). Students receiving state scholarships had bad eating habits (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.001), while lodging conditions were an important factor influencing their eating habits, with a higher score among students living with their parents (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.050). Moreover, the score was higher for students who were physically active than for those who were sedentary (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.011) (Tables\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e \u0026amp; \u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 1:\u003c/strong\u003e Sociodemographic characteristics of respondents and their association with eating patterns\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"fr-table-selection-hover\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 200px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 218px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eN(%)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 186px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ep-value\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 200px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGender:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eFemale\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eMale\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 218px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e466 (58.4%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e331(41.5%)\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 186px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;0.941\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 200px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNationality:\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eNatives\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eForeigners\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 218px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e749 (93.9%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e48 (6.02%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 186px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;0.046\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 200px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMarital status:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eSingle\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eMarried\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eDivorced\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 218px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e780 (97.9%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e12 (1.5%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e5 (0.6%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 186px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;0.555\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 200px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGrade level:\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eFirst year\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eSecond year\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThird year\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eFourth year\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eFifth year\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eSixth year\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 218px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e158 (19.8%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e133(16.7%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e135(16.9%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e139 (17.4%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e138(17.3%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e94 (11.7%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 186px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;0.499\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 200px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRepeating the year:\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eYes\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhich year?\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eNo\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 218px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e22 (2.8%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFirst year:2\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSecond year:8\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThird year: 5\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFourth year: 6\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e774 (97.2%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 186px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e1.000\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 200px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLodging: \u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eAlone\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eWith parents\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eUniversity residence\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eOthers\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 218px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e169(21.3%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e401(50.6%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e16 (2%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e28(3.5%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 186px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0.050\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 200px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003eTaking medications:\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eYes\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eNo\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 218px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e84 (10.5%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e711(89.4%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 186px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0.067\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 200px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMother\u0026apos;s profession:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eHousekeeper\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003ePublic employee\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eShopkeeper\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003ePrivate industry\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eCraftsmanship\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eOthers\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 218px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e508 (63.8%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e198 (24.9%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e20 (2.5%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e41 (5.2%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e2 (0.3%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e27 (3.4%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 186px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;0.084\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 200px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFather\u0026rsquo;s profession:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eUnemployed\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003ePublic employee\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eShopkeeper\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003ePrivate industry\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eCraftsmanship\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eOthers\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 218px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e21 (2.6%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e418 (52.5%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e131 (16.5%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e124 (15.6%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e12 (1.5%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e90 (11.3%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 186px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0.031\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 200px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eScholarship:\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eYes\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eNo\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 218px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e328 (41.4%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e464 (58.6%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 186px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0.001\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 200px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eParents separated:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eYes\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eNo\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 218px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e37 (4.6%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e758 (95.3%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 186px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0.261\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 200px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBmi (kg/m2):\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eNormal\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eLeanness\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eOverweight\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eObesity\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 218px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e537(68.5%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e114(14.5%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e116(14.8%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e16(2.2%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 186px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e1.000\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eN(%): number of students (percentage), BMI: body mass index.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe students\u0026rsquo; lifestyle data and their association with eating habits\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCharacteristics\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eValue\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ep-value\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"4\" rowspan=\"5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePhysical activity\u003c/em\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePercentage\u003c/b\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrequency\u003c/b\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eType\u003c/b\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"4\" rowspan=\"5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0.022\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e70.2%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOnce per week: 22.4%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFoot:19.4%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003estrength training: 7.7%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSwimming: 1.3%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOthers: 22%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTwice per week :24.5%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThree times:22.2%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMore than three times per week: 30.9%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSmoking consumption\u003c/em\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSmoker\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEx-smoker\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNon-Smoker\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0.527\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e1%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e2%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e97%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAlcohol consumption\u003c/em\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eYes\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNo\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e2.5%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e97,5%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0.567\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDrug consumption\u003c/em\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eYes\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNo\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e1.1%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e98.9%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0.495\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eEating behaviors:\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe observed that 43.3% of students took three regular meals including breakfast, lunch, and dinner, in most situations at their own homes. Concerning the frequency of meals, the principal meals are generally eaten daily: 54.6% for breakfast, 85% for lunch, and 54.7% for dinner, with an occasional evening coffee (52.4%). Snacking was taken daily by 23.1% of students and occasionally among 76.3%.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe noticed that most of the students had low consumption of vegetables and fruit at only one intake per day, at 56.3% and 60.3% respectively, the consumption of high-fiber foods once a day for 42.7%, and dairy products once a day for 53.7%. Regarding their meat consumption, we have noted that 36% of students consumed 200g per week of red meat, while the consumption of white meat was 50g per week for more than half of students (54.2%). Fish was eaten on average once a week by 58% of respondents, while 8.3% did not consume it. A satisfactory water intake was observed in 70% of respondents. We have observed that more than half of the respondents (53.9%) had altered their eating habits in terms of quality and quantity after their integration into medical studies. Finally, most of the students didn't eat even if they were hungry because of the lack of time (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEating habits of respondents\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"9\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCharacteristics\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"8\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eValue\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNumber of meals\u003c/em\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOne meal\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTwo meals\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThree meals\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMore than four meals\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e1.5%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e16.9%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e43.3%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e38.2%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMeal places\u003c/em\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBreakfast\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLunch\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEvening coffee\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDinner\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCanteen\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e12%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e4.6%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e5.6%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0.4%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHome\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e81.3%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e89.7%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e85.5%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e95.4%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOn the way\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e1.9%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e1.2%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0.3%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCoffee/Restaurant\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e3.6%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e5.5%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e5.4%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e3.9%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eYou don't eat even if you are hungry because\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTime constraints\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFighting obesity and overweight\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eProblem of money\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e73.5%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e13.6%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e12.9%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEating habits have changed during the integration to the medical study?\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAltered in quality\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAltered in quantity\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAltered in quantity and quality\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eImproved\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e31.7%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e22.2%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e53.9%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e19.7%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFrequency of fruit consumption\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNo fruit consumption\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOnce per day\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTwice per day\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThree times or more per day\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e5.1%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e60.3%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e23.5%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e6.8%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFrequency of vegetables consumption\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNo vegetable\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003econsumption\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOnce per day\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTwice per day\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThree times or more per day\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0.5%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e56.3%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e29.7%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e12.4%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFrequency of fish consumption\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNo fish consumption\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOne time per month\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOnce per week\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTwice or more per week\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e8.3%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e4.2%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e58%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e22.8%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFrequency of meat consumption\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e(1portion\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;50g)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNo meat consumption\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e1portion per week\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e2 portions per week\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e3 portions or more per week\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e2.5%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e26.5%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e36%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e31.9%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFrequency of poultry consumption\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e(1portion\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;50g)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNo poultry consumption\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e1portion per week\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e2 portions per week\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e3 portions or more per week\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e1.5%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e54.2%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e24.3%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e16.2%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFrequency of consumption of food rich in fiber\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOnce per day\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTwice per day\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThree times or more per day\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e42.7%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e36.1%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e18.9%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eConsumption of dairy products per day\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e(100cc Milk\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;2portions of cheese\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;yogurt)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNo dairy products intake\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOnce per day\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTwice per day\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThree times or more per day\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e3.9%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e53.7%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e29.4%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e9.5%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe most frequently consumed oil\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEssential oil\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"7\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eVegetable oil\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e30.4%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"7\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e69.6%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFrequency of snacking\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNever\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSometimes\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDaily\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0.6%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e76.3%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e23.1%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWater intake (liters/day)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;2.5L\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"7\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;2.5L\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e30%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"7\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e70%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFrequency of meals\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNever\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSometimes\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDaily\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBreakfast\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e5.1%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e40.4%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e54.6%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLunch\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e2.5%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e12.5%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e85%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEvening Coffee\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e12.4%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e52.4%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e35.2%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDinner\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e9%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e36.3%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e54.7%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"9\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTotal Score of Eating Habits:Number of students ( %)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c2\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;26\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"7\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e712 (10.7%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c2\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026gt;or =\u0026thinsp;26\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"7\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e85 ( 89.3%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003ePsychological factors:\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAround 47% of the participants have declared that they sometimes eat when they feel happy, 51.4% of them sometimes eat when they feel bored, and 47% of respondents reported that they often eat when they are lonely. Meanwhile, 40.2% are often completely out of control when it comes to food. In terms of excessive eating, 42.7% of respondents declared that they often overeat to the point of stomachache. We have also found that nervousness affected 17.4% of students who eat often when they have this feeling, while 38% eat sometimes when they are irritated. The studied psychological factors and their association with eating habits are summarized in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe have observed that students who consistently responded 'never' to questions about psychological factors exhibited higher eating habits scores compared to those who responded 'often'. Additionally, a statistically significant correlation was identified among students who reported eating because of feelings of happiness (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.02) (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePsychological factors and their association with the eating habits of respondents\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNever\u003c/em\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSometimes\u003c/em\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOften\u003c/em\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ep-value:\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEat because of feeling lonely\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e27.2%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e47%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e25.8%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0.158\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFeel completely out of control when it comes to food\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e42.8%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e40.2%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e16.8%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0.110\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEat so much until your stomach hurts\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e49.4%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e42.7%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e7.8%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0.565\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEat because of feeling upset or nervous\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e44.7%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e38%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e17.4%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0.480\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEat because of feeling bored\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e26.3%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e51.4%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e22.3%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0.662\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEat because of feeling happy\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e16%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e47%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e37%\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0.026\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe purpose of this study was to evaluate medical students eating patterns and to explore the correlation between sociodemographic, psychological characteristics, and eating habits.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe eating habits score indicated that the majority of students (89.3%) had a score of 26 or less, signifying inadequate dietary practices. Additionally over half of the respondents (53.9%) noted alterations in both the quantity and quality of their dietary behaviors after starting their medical studies.Within the scope of this study, it was observed that foreigners exhibit unhealthy dietary habits in comparison to natives. This outcome can be explained by the fact that local students demonstrate greater financial and familial stability compared to foreigners. Nevertheless, this association has not been identified in previous studies, such as the one conducted by H. Alzaharine in Saudi Arabia [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]. It was additionally discovered that students whose fathers were employed exhibited notably higher scores of eating habits, explained by better income.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn our study, over half of the students (54.1%) live with their families; this factor has positively impacted their eating habits which can be attributed to the healthy preparation of meals by their families. The same finding was reported in the study conducted by K. Bantan et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e] which involved 444 students and found a significant association between healthy eating habits and living with family.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn our study, it was also noted that students receiving state scholarships often demonstrated unhealthy dietary habits, potentially influenced by the accessibility of fast-food choices. Seventy percent of the students practiced physical activity, with 30.9% engaged in activities more than three times per week, encompassing various types such as weight training, swimming, and soccer. Indeed, physical activity is indispensable for maintaining a good health. Global studies suggest that the WHO recommends adults to either participate in a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week or involve in at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity weekly [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSome studies conducted in Malaysian and Chinese universities have demonstrated a notable correlation between tobacco, alcohol consumption and unhealthy dietary habits [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e]. However, our study did not identify this association, possibly due to the likelihood that these students did not disclose their consumption of such products, given that the subject is regarded as taboo in our society.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eConcerning dietary patterns, our research unveiled that over a third of students (43.3%) adhere to a tripartite meal structure (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). Similar findings were observed among students from Saudi Arabia (49.8%), Japan (59.7%), and Lebanon (61.4%) [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR18\" citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e]. Regarding the consumption of vegetables and fruits, the WHO suggests a daily intake of at least five portions or 400 grams of fruits and vegetables, due to their high content of vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, and their antioxidant effects [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e]. Our study revealed that the majority of students do not adhere to the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables. In fact, we found that 65.4% and 56.8% of students, respectively, consumed insufficient amounts of fruit and vegetables (less than or equal to one portion per day) .These results are consistent with those of a study conducted by Musaiger et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e] showing that only 26.3% of students in Bahrain consumed five portions of fruits and vegetables daily. Similar results were also observed in other studies, such as one conducted at King Faisal University in Al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia, which found that only 22% of students met the daily recommended intake [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e]. However, research on university students in South-East Asia and the Mediterranean region has shown higher rates of fruit and vegetable consumption, particularly among Chinese students (80%), all students in Sri Lanka, and 51% of students in Lebanon [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e]. The limited intake of fruits and vegetables observed in our study can be explained by the tendency to opt for quick-prep dishes that don\u0026rsquo;t include vegetables.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eConcerning dairy products, it is recommended to consume them at a frequency of one to two portions of cheese per day, or 400 to 500 ml of milk per day .Our study indicates that 83.4% of students adhere to this recommendation. These products are known to have a beneficial effect on bone metabolism, and low-fat products are associated with a reduction in hypertension, stroke, and the risk of type 2 diabetes [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOur study showed that students who answered \"never\" to a variety of psychological questions already cited in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e, had a higher eating habit score, these results were observed in H.Alzahrani's study, confirming the negative impact of these psychological factors on students' eating habits[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. Furthermore, our study found that 80.3% of the students judged that their diet had become unbalanced in quantity and quality after integrating the medical course. This could be explained by the irregular lifestyle, the lack of time, stress, and workload. Many students perceive attending a university or other higher education establishment as a source of stress. The behavioral effects of stress can affect eating habits. Individuals residing in high-stress environments often resort to increased food consumption as a means of coping with stress [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR25\" citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e]. Therefore, they might adopt unhealthy dietary practices, such as indulging in fast food, sugary beverages, and foods rich in fats. Introducing stress-management techniques within medical universities could potentially benefit the health and well-being of students [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Increased awareness of dietary guidelines appears to be associated with healthier eating habits, as indicated by a study conducted on higher education students. Those with better eating habits demonstrated higher nutritional knowledge [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e]. Therefore, we should encourage and establish nutrition education programs that inspire university students to embrace a healthy diet, which can then be passed on to their future patients.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe strengths of our study include being the first in our country to investigate the eating habits of medical students, as well as the substantial number of participants.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOur study has some limitations. The lack of anthropometric measurements of the students due to the large number of participants. Also, the monocentric design of the study makes our results non-representative of all medical students in our country.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eMost of the students in our study had unhealthy eating habits, impacted by different social and psychological factors. Moreover, these eating patterns underwent alterations during the transition to medical faculty. This underscores the need to encourage students to adopt healthier lifestyle choices and dietary habits.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Abbreviations","content":"\u003cp\u003eWHO: World Health Organization\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBMI: Body mass index\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe local ethics committee for biomedical research of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy approved the study design (Project 03/2023). The study design have been in accordance with th ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declataration of Helsinki.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWritten informed consent was obtained from all authors for the publication of the manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsent publication: Not Applicable\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026rsquo; contribution:\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDr Oumaima Magouri wrote the manuscript and was involved in collecting and analyzing the data.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDr. Hanae Rachedi, Dr. Imane Assarrar, and Dr. Fatima Zahra Najioui helped in writing the manuscript and data collection.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePr. Nisrine Bouichrat, Pr. Siham Rouf revised the manuscript.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePr. Hanane Latrech supervised the redaction, revised, and approved the final draft of the manuscript\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgments:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eThe authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Mohammed Amine Bouazzaoui \u0026nbsp; and Pr. Naima Abda for their help in the statistical analysis of data\u003cstrong\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConflicts of interest:\u003c/strong\u003e Authors declare no conflicts of interest.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding:\u003c/strong\u003e The authors did not receive any funding for this paper.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eNelson MC, Story M, Larson NI, Neumark-Sztainer D, Lytle LA. Emerging adulthood and college-aged youth: an overlooked age for weight-related behavior change. 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Disponible sur: https://tar.sljol.info/article/10.4038/tar.v23i3.4663/\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eComerford KB, Miller GD, Boileau AC, Masiello Schuette SN, Giddens JC, Brown KA. Global Review of Dairy Recommendations in Food-Based Dietary Guidelines. Front Nutr [Internet]. 25 mai 2021 [cit\u0026eacute; 24 mars 2024];8:671999. Disponible sur: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8186461/\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAdam TC, Epel ES. Stress, eating and the reward system. Physiol Behav. 24 juill 2007;91(4):449-58.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eTorres SJ, Nowson CA. Relationship between stress, eating behavior, and obesity. Nutrition. 2007;23(11-12):887-94.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eGanasegeran K, Al-Dubai SA, Qureshi AM, Al-abed A abed A, AM R, Aljunid SM. Social and psychological factors affecting eating habits among university students in a Malaysian medical school: a cross-sectional study. Nutr J [Internet]. 18 juill 2012 [cit\u0026eacute; 26 mars 2024];11:48. Disponible sur: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3418187/\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e(PDF) Association between Stress and Dietary Behaviours among Undergraduate Students in Kuwait Gender Differences [Internet]. [cit\u0026eacute; 27 mars 2024]. Disponible sur: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285697587_Association_between_Stress_and_Dietary_\u003cbr\u003eBehaviours_among_Undergraduate_Students_in_Kuwait_Gender_Differences\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eKolodinsky J, Harvey-Berino JR, Berlin L, Johnson RK, Reynolds TW. Knowledge of current dietary guidelines and food choice by college students: better eaters have higher knowledge of dietary guidance. J Am Diet Assoc. ao\u0026ucirc;t 2007;107(8):1409-13.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"eating disorder, medical students, healthy eating, vegetables, Fruits, physical activity","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6969135/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6969135/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBackground\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEating habits are an important health issue for the well-being of medical students. The objective of this study was to uncover eating behavior patterns among medical students and to explore their associations with sociodemographic, socioeconomic and psychological factors.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMethods\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis cross-sectional study included 797 medical students aged 17\u0026ndash;26years old from the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy. The participants were in their first to sixth academic years of study. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire that included inquiries about sociodemographic characteristics, eating habits, and psychological factors.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eResults\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe eating habits score was notably higher among local students, as well as among students without scholarships, those living with their families, having fathers who are employed, and those who are engaged in physical activity. The multivariate analysis indicated that the score was lower among students who frequently reported encountering psychological issues.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eConclusion\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMost of the students in this study had unhealthy eating habits, which furthermore altered during the transition to medical studies. University students should benefit from nutrition education programs to encourage healthy diets.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Eating Patterns Among Moroccan Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-09-22 09:50:57","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6969135/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"10ee474f-675a-4e95-a677-c98b0bf33d45","owner":[],"postedDate":"September 22nd, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-01-02T12:10:24+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-09-22 09:50:57","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6969135","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6969135","identity":"rs-6969135","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}