Influence of dietary habits on body composition in Lebanese active University students

Problem Statement: The unhealthy lifestyle behaviors that university students face comprising sedentary behaviors are associated with weight gain and obesity in this critical life age. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to explore the effect of dietary habits on body composition parameters in Lebanese Active University Students according to gender. Methods: A sample of 200 students from the Lebanese University, faculty of education, physical Education department were studied. The standardized Dietary questionnaire (Turconi et al., 2003) was used to assess the dietary habits of the participants. Body Composition was assessed using the method of multifrequency bioelectrical analysis. Five body composition parameters were assessed: Body Height, Body Mass, Body mass index, Percentage Body Fat mass, and percentage of Skeletal Muscle mass. Results: Lebanese Physical Education students showed satisfactory results and scored above average in the four sections of the nutrition survey. Regarding gender-based classification, males showed better scores in sections of dietary habits and nutrition knowledge, while females showed better scores in physical activity rated level, and nutrition beliefs. Regarding Body Composition, Lebanese students were found in normal body weight. The multiple regression analysis technique showed that the dietary habits factor has mild to moderate influence on body composition specifically on its three tested dependent variables: BM, BFM, and SMM. Conclusion: Findings support the need from educational and health authorities to develop and evaluate health-promotion and obesity-prevention programs for university communities especially for female gender with regular healthy lifestyle monitoring and standardized assessments.