Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the desire to lose weight in a group of university students, and to analyse the influence of this desire on declared food habits. The degree of knowledge on what constitutes a balanced diet was also determined.
Design: Cross-sectional population survey.
Subjects: The study subjects were 234 university students (48 males and 186 females) aged 22.3±1.5 y. The weight and height of each were recorded. All subjects were questioned on their desire to lose weight, habitual food intake frequencies, and about what they considered to constitute a balanced diet.
Results: Approximately half the population (47.9%), both male (47.8%) and female (47.9%), expressed a desire to lose weight, even though the percentage of overweight students was low (11.1% overall, although much greater among male students [39.6%] than female students [3.8]). The body mass index (BMI) of those who wanted to lose weight was greater than that of those who did not. Nonetheless, the majority of subjects (especially females) showed BMIs within the normal range (18–25 kg/m2). Among those who wished to lose weight, the consumption of sweet foods was lower — although these subjects believed they ought to consume even less. It was also thought necessary that egg consumption be reduced, although no differences were recorded in declared consumption between those who wished to lose weight and those who did not.
Conclusions: The results show that there is great concern over body weight, although no great differences were seen in the food habits and nutrition knowledge of those who wished to lose weight and those who did not.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adams K, Sargent RG, Thompson SH, Richter D, Corwin SJ & Rogan TJ (2000): A study of body weight concerns and weight control practices of 4th and 7th grade adolescents. Ethn. Health 5, 79–94.
Alexander JM & Tepper BJ (1995): Use of reduced-calorie/reduced-fat foods by young adults: influence of gender and restraint. Appetite 25, 217–230.
Anderson DA, Lundgren JD, Shapiro JR & Paulosky CA (2003): Weight goals in a college-age population. Obes. Res. 11, 274–278.
Appleton KM & Conner MT (2001): Body weight, body-weight concerns and eating styles in habitual heavy users and non-users of artificially sweetened beverages. Appetite 37, 225–230.
Capps Jr O, Cleveland L & Park J (2002): Dietary behaviors associated with total fat and saturated fat intake. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 102, 490–502.
Croll JK, Neumark-Sztainer D & Story M (2001): Healthy eating: what does it mean to adolescents? J. Nutr. Educ. 33, 193–198.
George VA & Johnson P (2001): Weight loss behaviors and smoking in college students of diverse ethnicity. Am. J. Health Behav. 25, 115–124.
Lee Y & Birch LL (2002): Diet quality, nutrient intake, weight status, and feeding environments of girls meeting or exceeding the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations for total dietary fat. Minerva Pediatr. Jun 54, 179–186.
Neumark-Sztainer D, Sherwood NE, French SA & Jeffery RW (1999): Weight control behaviors among adult men and women: cause for concern? Obes Res 7, 179–188.
Nowak M (1998): The weight-conscious adolescent: body image, food intake, and weight-related behavior. J. Adolesc. Health 23, 389–398.
Ortega RM, Requejo AM, Sanchez-Muniz FJ, Quintas ME, Sanchez-Quiles B, Andres P, Redondo MR & Lopez-Sobaler AM (1997): Concern about nutrition and its relation to the food habits of a group of young university students from Madrid (Spain). Z. Ernahrungswiss 36, 16–22.
Ortega RM, Requejo AM, Andrés P, Redondo MR, López-Sobaler AM & Quintas E (1998): El rombo de la alimentación. Guia útil en la planificación de dietas ajustadas a las pautas recomendadas. Nutr. Clin. 16, 35–43.
Ortega RM, Requejo AM, López-Sobaler AM, Navia B, Perea JM, Mena MC, Faci M, Lozano M & Navarro AR (2000): Conocimiento respecto a las características de una dieta equilibrada y su relación con los hábitos alimentarios de un colectivo de jóvenes universitarios. Nutr. Clin. 5, 19–25.
Requejo AM, Ortega AM, Quintas E, Sánchez-Quiles B, Redondo R & Andrés P (1997): The control of body weight in young spanish women: are they over-concerned? Nutr. Res. 17, 439–449.
Sherwood NE, Harnack L & Story M (2000): Weight-loss practices, nutrition beliefs, and weight-loss program preferences of urban American Indian women. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 100, 442–446.
Skeie G & Klepp KI (2002): Dieting among girls from Hordaland. Tidssr. Nor. Laegeforen 122, 1771–1773.
Thompson SH & Sargent RG (2000): Black and White women's weight-related attitudes and parental criticism of their childhood appearance. Women Health 30, 77–92.
Timperio A, Cameron-Smith D, Burns C & Crawford D (2000): The public's response to the obesity epidemic in Australia: weight concerns and weight control practices of men and women. Public Health Nutr. 3, 417–424.
US Department of Agriculture (1992): The Food Guide Pyramid. Hyattsville, MD: Human Nutrition Information Service (Washington, DC Home and Garden Bulletin No. 252).
Wardle J & Johnson F (2002): Weight and dieting: examining levels of weight concern in British adults. Int. J. Obes. Relat. Metab. Disord. 26, 1144–1149.
Wong Y & Huang YC (1999): Obesity concerns, weight satisfaction and characteristics of female dieters: a study on female Taiwanese college students. J. Am. Coll. Nutr. 18, 194–200.
Zemel PC, Browak S, Huntsinger D & MacMichael CF (1993): What do teachers use and what do they need to teach healthful eating in schools? Sch. Food Serv. Res. Rev. 77, 41–45.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Guarantor: B Navia Lombán
Contributors: BN, RMO and AMR have been involved in the study design and MCM, JMP and AMLS contributed to the analysis of the data, and revision of the paper.
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Navia, B., Ortega, R., Requejo, A. et al. Influence of the desire to lose weight on food habits, and knowledge of the characteristics of a balanced diet, in a group of Madrid university students. Eur J Clin Nutr 57 (Suppl 1), S90–S93 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601807
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601807
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Factors associated with body mass index among university students in Bangladesh
Journal of Public Health (2021)
-
Does perception equal reality? Weight misperception in relation to weight-related attitudes and behaviors among overweight and obese US adults
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (2011)
-
A study of eating attitudes and related factors in a sample of first-year female Nutrition and Dietetics students of Harokopion University in Athens, Greece
Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity (2009)
-
Vitamin B6 status improves in overweight/obese women following a hypocaloric diet rich in breakfast cereals, and may help in maintaining fat-free mass
International Journal of Obesity (2008)
-
Changes in thiamin intake and blood levels in young, overweight/obese women following hypocaloric diets based on the increased relative consumption of cereals or vegetables
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2007)