TITLE:
Investigating College Students’ Diet and Physical Activity Behaviors Regarding Non-Communicable Diseases Prevention in China
AUTHORS:
Ling-Shen Hung, Yueyuan Chen, Yuqi Huang, Li-Ching Hung, Meng-Te Hung
KEYWORDS:
Non-Communicable Diseases, Dietary Behavior, Physical Activity, College Students
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.11 No.2,
February
28,
2023
ABSTRACT: We aimed to investigate if college students’ dietary and physical activity adhered to the Chinese Dietary Guidelines, the Composing Editorial Board of Physical Activity Guidelines, and WHO recommendation for NCDs prevention. Methods: A 3-day (2 weekdays and 1 weekend day) 24-hour (24-HRs) dietary recall was conducted to record details of participants’ food consumption. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to examine the influence of the identified demographic variables (including BMI, gender, major, family monthly income, and place of household registration) on the 8 food groups’ consumption. We analyzed the effect of the various demographic variables on sodium intake by the student’s t-test. The questionnaire, International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)-Short Form, was utilized to assess participants’ physical activity (PA) level. The Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney was applied to analyze participants’ physical activity. Results: Our research indicated participants consumed much fewer fruits and vegetables and excessive meats on average for both males and females regarding NCDs prevention. Conclusion: Participants’ dietary intake did not comply with the Chinese Dietary Guide-lines recommendation for chronic diseases prevention. Nutrition knowledge and health education are needed for college students.