Lower income adequacy is associated with faster self-reported eating speed among university students

Purpose University students are susceptible to unhealthy eating habits such as fast eating due to their irregular lifestyles, academic pressures and limited financial resources. This study aims to examine the connection between self-reported eating speed and income adequacy, meal context and lifestyle factors among university students. Design/Methodology/Approach Socio-demographic characteristics, eating/dining context, anthropometric measurements and self-reported eating speed were collected from 228 university students using snowball sampling. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the data, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify predictors of eating speed, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Findings Income adequacy was the only variable linked to eating speed, with students whose income fell below expenses showing higher odds of fast eating (adjusted odds ratio 4.3, 95% confidence intervals 1.5–11.9). Originality Value These findings suggest that eating speed should be considered not only as an individual eating behaviour but also as a potential public health indicator linked to economic circumstances and underlying food insecurity.