Evaluating eating patterns and health status of undergraduate students majoring in human nutrition, Lahore, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study
This study aims to evaluate the nutritional status of aspiring nutritionists in universities across Lahore. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire, and dietary analysis was done using USDA food composition tables. Results showed that 63% of participants from u...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Adolescence and Youth |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2024.2448287 |
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| author | Saad Afzal Ayesha Iftikhar Mateen Ahmad Zeeshan Ashraf Waseem Khalid Shinawar Waseem Ali Maryam Illyas Fareed Afzal Muhammad Zubair Khalid Tawfiq Alsulami Emery Lenge Mukonzo |
| author_facet | Saad Afzal Ayesha Iftikhar Mateen Ahmad Zeeshan Ashraf Waseem Khalid Shinawar Waseem Ali Maryam Illyas Fareed Afzal Muhammad Zubair Khalid Tawfiq Alsulami Emery Lenge Mukonzo |
| author_sort | Saad Afzal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study aims to evaluate the nutritional status of aspiring nutritionists in universities across Lahore. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire, and dietary analysis was done using USDA food composition tables. Results showed that 63% of participants from upper middle-class backgrounds were either obese or underweight, while 25% of those affected by malnutrition were from lower middle-class backgrounds. The average caloric intake was only 990 ± 347 kcal, which is well below the requirement for healthy adult functioning. A significant proportion of obese individuals consumed junk food daily, while all groups had inadequate intakes of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Refined carbohydrates dominated meals, and protein sources were generally of low biological value. There was a strong association between socio-economic status and nutritional status (p < 0.005). The study concludes that nutrition knowledge alone is insufficient for promoting healthy habits targeted interventions are essential for long-term health improvements. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9e4490a42cd34fea8f8776b6894838ff |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0267-3843 2164-4527 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Adolescence and Youth |
| spelling | doaj-art-9e4490a42cd34fea8f8776b6894838ff2025-01-28T17:50:19ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Adolescence and Youth0267-38432164-45272025-12-0130110.1080/02673843.2024.2448287Evaluating eating patterns and health status of undergraduate students majoring in human nutrition, Lahore, Pakistan: a cross-sectional studySaad Afzal0Ayesha Iftikhar1Mateen Ahmad2Zeeshan Ashraf3Waseem Khalid4Shinawar Waseem Ali5Maryam Illyas6Fareed Afzal7Muhammad Zubair Khalid8Tawfiq Alsulami9Emery Lenge Mukonzo10Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Life Science Gulab Devi Educational Complex, Lahore, PakistanDepartment of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Life Science Gulab Devi Educational Complex, Lahore, PakistanDepartment of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Life Science Gulab Devi Educational Complex, Lahore, PakistanDepartment of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Socio Physical and Life Science, University of the Punjab, Lahore, PakistanFaculty of Health and Life Sciences, Persiaran Perdana BBN, INTI International University, Nilai, MalaysiaDepartment of Food Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore, PakistanDepartment of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Life Science Gulab Devi Educational Complex, Lahore, PakistanDepartment of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Life Science Gulab Devi Educational Complex, Lahore, PakistanDepartment of Food Science, Faculty of Life Sciences, Government College University, Faisalabad, PakistanDepartment of Food Science & Nutrition, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaLand Evaluation and Agro-Metrology Research Unit, Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture Research, University of Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi B.P, DR. CangoThis study aims to evaluate the nutritional status of aspiring nutritionists in universities across Lahore. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire, and dietary analysis was done using USDA food composition tables. Results showed that 63% of participants from upper middle-class backgrounds were either obese or underweight, while 25% of those affected by malnutrition were from lower middle-class backgrounds. The average caloric intake was only 990 ± 347 kcal, which is well below the requirement for healthy adult functioning. A significant proportion of obese individuals consumed junk food daily, while all groups had inadequate intakes of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Refined carbohydrates dominated meals, and protein sources were generally of low biological value. There was a strong association between socio-economic status and nutritional status (p < 0.005). The study concludes that nutrition knowledge alone is insufficient for promoting healthy habits targeted interventions are essential for long-term health improvements.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2024.2448287Aspiring dieticiansmalnutritionnutritional assessmentshealth statussurvey |
| spellingShingle | Saad Afzal Ayesha Iftikhar Mateen Ahmad Zeeshan Ashraf Waseem Khalid Shinawar Waseem Ali Maryam Illyas Fareed Afzal Muhammad Zubair Khalid Tawfiq Alsulami Emery Lenge Mukonzo Evaluating eating patterns and health status of undergraduate students majoring in human nutrition, Lahore, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study International Journal of Adolescence and Youth Aspiring dieticians malnutrition nutritional assessments health status survey |
| title | Evaluating eating patterns and health status of undergraduate students majoring in human nutrition, Lahore, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study |
| title_full | Evaluating eating patterns and health status of undergraduate students majoring in human nutrition, Lahore, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study |
| title_fullStr | Evaluating eating patterns and health status of undergraduate students majoring in human nutrition, Lahore, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluating eating patterns and health status of undergraduate students majoring in human nutrition, Lahore, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study |
| title_short | Evaluating eating patterns and health status of undergraduate students majoring in human nutrition, Lahore, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study |
| title_sort | evaluating eating patterns and health status of undergraduate students majoring in human nutrition lahore pakistan a cross sectional study |
| topic | Aspiring dieticians malnutrition nutritional assessments health status survey |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2024.2448287 |
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