The Physical Activity and Dietary Habits of Nursing Students
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Jan 30, 2024
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Abstract
Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physical activity and dietary habits of nursing students.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted; anonymous questionnaire and descriptive statistical methods were used.
Results: One hundred and one student were interviewed, 80 women and 21 men. Although 96% of students consider physical activity important, but they are not physically active. Fast food and sugary carbonated drinks are frequently consumed by 52% of students. Alcoholic beverages are never consumed by 27% of respondents, 27% of the surveyed students smoke daily and 23% of respondents eat sweets daily. Fruits and vegetables are consumed daily by 53 % . Breakfast is consumed regularly by 54 students (53%).
Conclusions: Nursing students are well acquainted with the importance of obesity for public health, but students' dietary and lifestyle habits are not proportionate to their knowledge about the causes and ways of obesity prevention.
Keywords:
eating behavior, obesity, prevention, physical inactivity, treatment
Article Details
How to Cite
JOVANOVIĆ, Željko; ŠARIĆ, Maja; MILETIĆ, Bojan.
The Physical Activity and Dietary Habits of Nursing Students.
Medical Research Archives, [S.l.], v. 12, n. 1, jan. 2024.
ISSN 2375-1924.
Available at: <https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/4911>. Date accessed: 21 dec. 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v12i1.4911.
Section
Research Articles
The Medical Research Archives grants authors the right to publish and reproduce the unrevised contribution in whole or in part at any time and in any form for any scholarly non-commercial purpose with the condition that all publications of the contribution include a full citation to the journal as published by the Medical Research Archives.
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24. Martinez YTS, Harmon BE, Nigg CR, Bantum EO, Strayhorn S. Diet and Physical Activity Intervention Strategies for College Students. Health Behav Policy Rev. 2016;3(4):336-347. doi:10.14485/HBPR.3.4.5
25. 25.García-Meseguer MJ, Burriel FC, García CV, Serrano-Urrea R. Adherence to Mediterranean diet in a Spanish university population [published correction appears in Appetite. 2014 Sep;80:271]. Appetite. 2014;78:156-164. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2014.03.020
26. Pavičić-Žeželj S, Dragaš-Zubalj N, Fantina D, Krešić G, Kenđel Jovanović G. Adherence to Mediterranean diet in University of Rijeka students. Paediatria Croatica. 2019;63(1):24-31. doi:10.13112/pc.2019.5
27. Zdjelar M. Prehrambene navike i uvjerenja o prehrani studenata riječkog sveučilišta (Undergraduate thesis). Rijeka: University of Rijeka, Faculty of Medicine; 2023 Available at: https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:184:835360
28. Martinez YTS, Harmon BE, Nigg CR, Bantum EO, Strayhorn S. Diet and Physical Activity Intervention Strategies for College Students. Health Behav Policy Rev. 2016;3(4):336-347. doi:10.14485/HBPR.3.4.5
29. Amore L, Buchthal OV, Banna JC. Identifying perceived barriers and enablers of healthy eating in college students in Hawai’i: a qualitative study using focus groups. BMC Nutr 2019; 5, 16. doi.org/10.1186/s40795-019-0280-0
30. Zhou L, Chu Y, Wei L, Wang J, Zhu X. Diet self-management: A qualitative study of college students' experiences and perspectives. Front Public Health. 2022;10:1059818. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.1059818
31. Sogari G, Velez-Argumedo C, Gómez MI, Mora C. College Students and Eating Habits: A Study Using An Ecological Model for Healthy Behavior. Nutrients. 2018;10(12):1823. doi:10.3390/nu10121823
32. Lasi FF, MahmoodA, Samejo B, Khayyam U. WaseemMH, Sangrasi SA. The RelationshipBetween Physical Activity, Obesityand Overweight Among University Going Students of Jamshoro, Sindh. JRCRS. 2020; 8(1):25-32.doi: 10.5455/JRCRS.2020080106
33. Roy R, Kelly B, Rangan A, Allman-Farinelli M. Food Environment Interventions to Improve the Dietary Behavior of Young Adults in Tertiary Education Settings: A Systematic Literature Review. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2015;115(10):1647-81.e1. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2015.06.380
34. Bailey CP, Sharma S, Economos CD, Hennessy E, Simon C, Hatfield DP. College campuses' influence on student weight and related behaviours: A review of observational and intervention research. Obes Sci Pract. 2020;6(6):694-707. Published 2020 Sep 23. doi:10.1002/osp4.445
35. Allman-Farinelli M. Nutritional Strategies to Prevent Weight Gain and Obesity. Nutrients. 2023;15(19):4180. doi:10.3390/nu15194180
2. Eurostat Overweight and obesity - BMI statistics[Internet]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statisticsexplained/index.php?title=Overweight_and_obesity_-_BMI_statistics#Obesity_by_age_group [Accessed 04/07/2022].
3. Freedman DS, Khan LK, Serdula MK, Dietz WH, Srinivasan SR, Berenson GS. The relation of childhood BMI to adult adiposity: the Bogalusa Heart Study. Pediatrics. 2005 Jan;115(1):22-7. doi: 10.1542/peds.2004-0220
4. Simmonds M, Llewellyn A, Owen CG, Woolacott N. Predicting adult obesity from childhood obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Obes Rev. 2016 Feb.17(2):95-107. doi: 10.1111/obr.12334.
5. World Obesity Federation [Internet]World Obesity Atlas 2022 Available: https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/wof-files/World_Obesity_Atlas_2022.pdf [Accessed 04/07/2022].
6. OECD/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Croatia: Health and Healthcare 2021 Review, OECD Publishing, Paris 2022. Available at https://doi.org/10.1787/24be62c0-hr [Accessed 04/07/2021]
7. Bernhardsson S, Boman C, Lundqvist S, Arvidsson D, Börjesson M, Larsson MEH et al. Implementation of physical activity on prescription for children with obesity in paediatric health care (IMPA): protocol for a feasibility and evaluation study using quantitative and qualitative methods. Pilot and Feasibility Studies. 2022 Dec;8(1):117. doi: 10.1186/s40814-022-01075-3
8. Lifshitz F. Obesity in children. J Clin Res Pediatr Endocrinol. 2008;1(2):53-60. doi: 10.4008/jcrpe.v1i2.35.
9. Musić Milanović S, Lang Morović M, Bukal D, Križan H, Buoncristiano M, Breda J. Regional and Sociodemographic Determinants of the Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Children Aged 7-9 Years in Croatia. Acta clinica Croatica [Internet]. 2020 [accessed on 04.07.2022.]; 59(2):303-311 https://doi.org/10.20471/acc.2020.59.02.14
10. Musić Milanović S, Lang Morović M, Križan H. European Initiative for monitoring obesity in children, Croatia 2018/2019 (CroCOSI). Croatian Institute of Public Health: Zagreb, 2021. Available at: https://www.hzjz.hr/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/CroCOSI-publikacija-2021-ENGLESKI-WEB-pages.pdf
11. Croatian Institute of Public Health [Internet]. Croatian Healt Statistical Yearbook for 2020. Available at: https://www.hzjz.hr/hrvatski-zdravstveno-statisticki-ljetopis/hrvatski-zdravstveno-statisticki-ljetopis-za-2020-tablicni-podaci/[Accessed 31/03/2021]
12. Gajdić S, Gugić T, Bačić K and Hudrović N. The prevalence of childhood obesity. SG/NJ 2014;19:239-41
doi: 10.11608/sgnj.2014.19.050
13. Lob-Corzilius T. Overweight and obesity in childhood--a special challenge for public health. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2007 Oct;210(5):585-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2007.07.019.
14. Pérez-Cornejo P, Corral-Fernandez NE, Guzman-Hernandez ML, Gopalan C. Nutrition education on obesity and diabetes to medical students. Adv Physiol Educ. 2021 Jun 1,45(2):217-223.
doi: 10.1152/advan.00193.2020.
15. Vadasova B, Cech P, Smerecka V, Junger J, Zvonar M, Ruzbarsky P. Overweight and obesity in Slovak high school students and body composition indicators: a non-randomized cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health. 2016 Aug 17;16(1):808. doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-3508-9.
16. Antal M, Péter S, Biró L, Nagy K, Regöly-Mérei A, Arató G, Szabó C, Martos E. Prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity on the basis of body mass index and body fat percentage in Hungarian schoolchildren: representative survey in metropolitan elementary schools. Ann Nutr Metab. 2009;54(3):171-6.
doi: 10.1159/000217813.
17. Gudeljević M, Jovanović Ž. Habits and attitudes about the nutrition of graduates of the Medical School. Journal of Applied Health Sciences = Journal of Applied Health Sciences [Internet]. 2022 [accessed on 04.07.2022.];8( 1):83-96. https://doi.org/10.24141/1/8/1/8
18. Kendeš M. Eating habits of adolescents in the area of Split-Dalmatia County (Graduate thesis). Split: University of Split, Faculty of Medicine, 2021. Available at: https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:171:523667 [Accessed 31/03/2021]
19. Brncic B. Adolescent eating habits (Graduate thesis). Osijek: Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Medicine Osijek, 2017. Available at: https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:152:979308 [Accessed 31/03/2021]
20. Croatian Institute of Public Health: European Survey on Smoking, Drinking Alcohol, Drug Use and Other Forms of Addiction (ESPAD) [Internet]. 2019 Available at: https://www.hzjz.hr/sluzba-promicanje-zdravlja/europsko-istrazivanje-o-pusenju-pijenju-alkohola-uzimanju-droga-i-drugim-oblicima-ovisnosti-medu-ucenicima-espad-2019/ [Accessed 31/03/2021]
21. Croatian Institute of Public Health [Internet]. European Health Survey in Croatia 2019, Basic indicators. Available at: https://www.hzjz.hr/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/EHIS-Osnovni-pokazatelji-1.pdf [Accessed 31/03/2021]
22. World Health Organization [Internet]. Draft recommendations for the prevention and management of obesity over the lifecourse, including considering the potential development of targets in this regard. See Annex 9: Available at: https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB150/B150_7-en.pdf
23. Šarić M. Causes and consequence of obesity in childran (Graduate thesis). Pula: University Juraj Dobrila Pula, Faculty of Medicine Pula; 2022. Available at: https://repozitorij.unipu.hr/islandora/object/unipu%3A6664/datastream/PDF/view
24. Martinez YTS, Harmon BE, Nigg CR, Bantum EO, Strayhorn S. Diet and Physical Activity Intervention Strategies for College Students. Health Behav Policy Rev. 2016;3(4):336-347. doi:10.14485/HBPR.3.4.5
25. 25.García-Meseguer MJ, Burriel FC, García CV, Serrano-Urrea R. Adherence to Mediterranean diet in a Spanish university population [published correction appears in Appetite. 2014 Sep;80:271]. Appetite. 2014;78:156-164. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2014.03.020
26. Pavičić-Žeželj S, Dragaš-Zubalj N, Fantina D, Krešić G, Kenđel Jovanović G. Adherence to Mediterranean diet in University of Rijeka students. Paediatria Croatica. 2019;63(1):24-31. doi:10.13112/pc.2019.5
27. Zdjelar M. Prehrambene navike i uvjerenja o prehrani studenata riječkog sveučilišta (Undergraduate thesis). Rijeka: University of Rijeka, Faculty of Medicine; 2023 Available at: https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:184:835360
28. Martinez YTS, Harmon BE, Nigg CR, Bantum EO, Strayhorn S. Diet and Physical Activity Intervention Strategies for College Students. Health Behav Policy Rev. 2016;3(4):336-347. doi:10.14485/HBPR.3.4.5
29. Amore L, Buchthal OV, Banna JC. Identifying perceived barriers and enablers of healthy eating in college students in Hawai’i: a qualitative study using focus groups. BMC Nutr 2019; 5, 16. doi.org/10.1186/s40795-019-0280-0
30. Zhou L, Chu Y, Wei L, Wang J, Zhu X. Diet self-management: A qualitative study of college students' experiences and perspectives. Front Public Health. 2022;10:1059818. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.1059818
31. Sogari G, Velez-Argumedo C, Gómez MI, Mora C. College Students and Eating Habits: A Study Using An Ecological Model for Healthy Behavior. Nutrients. 2018;10(12):1823. doi:10.3390/nu10121823
32. Lasi FF, MahmoodA, Samejo B, Khayyam U. WaseemMH, Sangrasi SA. The RelationshipBetween Physical Activity, Obesityand Overweight Among University Going Students of Jamshoro, Sindh. JRCRS. 2020; 8(1):25-32.doi: 10.5455/JRCRS.2020080106
33. Roy R, Kelly B, Rangan A, Allman-Farinelli M. Food Environment Interventions to Improve the Dietary Behavior of Young Adults in Tertiary Education Settings: A Systematic Literature Review. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2015;115(10):1647-81.e1. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2015.06.380
34. Bailey CP, Sharma S, Economos CD, Hennessy E, Simon C, Hatfield DP. College campuses' influence on student weight and related behaviours: A review of observational and intervention research. Obes Sci Pract. 2020;6(6):694-707. Published 2020 Sep 23. doi:10.1002/osp4.445
35. Allman-Farinelli M. Nutritional Strategies to Prevent Weight Gain and Obesity. Nutrients. 2023;15(19):4180. doi:10.3390/nu15194180