期刊名称：Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies
电子版ISSN：2141-6990
出版年度：2013
卷号：4
期号：1
出版社：Scholarlink Resource Centre
摘要：University life is a challenging period especially for first year students who have to leave their familiar surroundings and settle in a new environment. The unfamiliar environment may have an impact on their personality, attitudes and behaviour. The purpose of this paper was to establish the dietary awareness and eating patterns of the young adults and how these affect their health since students should make informed decisions on their dietary patterns. The study is significant because a healthy body is able to maintain a healthy mind. A cross-sectional survey technique was adopted for this article. Semi-structured and validated questionnaire was used to collect data from forty respondents who were selected using the cluster random sampling. One nursing staff was interviewed. Data was analyzed using the Social Science Statistical Package (SPSS) and descriptive statistics used were frequencies and percentages. The findings revealed that most students lacked nutritional knowledge as reflected by their diet which lacked variety that was worsened by their purchasing points that had no variety. Students' dietary patterns had some missed meals due to busy schedules and lack of finances. It could be concluded that students were likely to suffer from micro-nutrient deficient related diseases, as they were not meeting their nutrient daily intake. The study suggests that catering departments in institutions ensure variety in their daily food supplies. Primary health care workers in educational institutions should also educate students on their nutritional needs.
关键词：dietary pattern; diet; lifestyle; student; university life; nutritional awareness.
