Eating Habits among Students of the Catholic University of Croatia; Cross-sectional Study

Uvod: Pravilna prehrana ključna je za pravilan rast i razvoj čovjeka te ima važnu ulogu u poboljšanju i očuvanju zdravlja u starijoj životnoj dobi. Prehrambene navike stječu se već u ranom djetinjstvu, a one koje se usvajaju tijekom razdoblja studiranja, često se ne mijenjaju kroz daljnji život i kao takve sudjeluju u formiranju zdravlja odnosno bolesti. Studenti često zbog promjene okoline, manjka vremena, radnog statusa ili povećane odgovornosti, ne pridaju velik značaj utjecaju prehrambenih navika na zdravlje. Stoga je bitno procijeniti kvalitetu prehrane, motivirati i educirati studente o važnosti izbora kvalitetnih namirnica. Cilj: Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati prehrambene navike studenata Hrvatskog katoličkog sveučilišta te utvrditi postoji li razlika u prehrambenim navikama studenata s obzirom na smjer studija, radni status i stupanj uhranjenosti. Metode: Provedeno je presječno istraživanje. Ispitanici su bili studenti svih preddiplomskih i diplomskih studijskih programa Hrvatskog katoličkog sveučilišta, redovni i izvanredni. Podaci su prikupljeni anonimnim anketnim upitnikom koji se sastojao od tri dijela te je studentima distribuiran putem e-pošte. Prvi dio upitnika čine sociodemografski podaci,drugi dio čine pitanja o prehrambenim navikama studenata, dok se treći dio upitnika odnosi na svijest studenata o sebi i svojoj prehrani. Rezultati: U ovom istraživanju sudjelovao je 161 student. Rezultati su pokazali da studenti najčešće konzumiraju tri obroka dnevno, te da neovisno o smjeru studijskog programa vode brigu o zdravoj prehrani. Nije zabilježena statistički značajna razlika u konzumaciji brze hrane kod studenata s obzirom na stupanj uhranjenosti. Većina studenata neovisno iz sve tri ispitane skupine studenata, svoju prehranu procjenjuje zdravom, osim studenata koji spadaju u skupinu pretilih osoba. Zaključak: Studenti svih smjerova, zaposleni i nezaposleni, različitih stupnjeva uhranjenosti pokazali su da imaju relativno zdrave prehrambene navike po pitanju konzumacije voća, povrća, unosa tekućine i konzumacije mesa. Isto tako, većinom imaju pozitivan stav o vlastitim prehrambenim navikama. Postoje iznimke među studentima prema stupnju uhranjenosti, koji pokazuju utjecaj prehrane na sliku o sebi.Background: Proper nutrition is essential for proper human growth and development and playsan important role in improving and preserving health in old age. Eating habits are acquired already in early childhood, and those that are adopted during the period of study, often do not change throughout life and as such participate in the formation of health or illness. College students often, due to a change in environment, lack of time, work status or increased responsibility, do not attach much importance to the impact of eating habits on health. Therefore, it is important to assess the quality of nutrition, motivate and educate students about the importance of choosing good quality foods. Aim: This research aimed to examine the eating habits of students of the Croatian Catholic University and to determine whether there is a difference in the eating habits of students concerning their field of study, work status, and level of nutrition. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted. The respondents were students of all undergraduate and graduate study programs of the Croatian Catholic University, full-time and part-time. The data was collected using an anonymous survey questionnaire that consisted of three parts and was distributed to students via e-mail. The first part of the questionnaire consists of sociodemographic data, the second part consists of questions about the students' eating habits, while the third part of the questionnaire refers to the students' awareness of themselves and their diet. Results: 161 students participated in this research. The results showed that students usually consume three meals a day and that regardless of the direction of the study program, they take care of a healthy diet. No statistically significant difference was recorded in the consumption of fast food among students concerning the level of nutrition. The majority of students, regardless of all three groups of students examined, evaluate their diet as healthy, except for students who belong to the group of obese people. Conclusion: Students of all majors, employed and unemployed, with different degrees of nutrition, showed that they have relatively healthy eating habits in terms of fruit, vegetable consumption, fluid intake, and meat consumption. Likewise, most of them have a positive attitude about their eating habits. There are exceptions among students according to the level of nutrition, which shows the influence of eating habits on self-image