Students eating habits and health self-assessment at the university in Kosovska Mitrovica

Abstract

Introduction: Qualitative and quantitative needs for a well-balanced diet during studying are higher than in any other period of a lifetime. Aim: The aim was to determine the frequency of certain eating habits among students of the University of Priština with a temporary headquarters in Kosovska Mitrovica, and to examine the connection of these habits with self-assessment of the health of the respondents. Methods: This research was a cross-sectional study of a representative sample of students at the University of Pristina with a temporary headquarters in Kosovska Mitrovica in March and April 2011. It was surveyed by 567 students. The research instrument was The Behavior and Health Questionnaire. The frequency differences were tested by the hi-square test. The criterion for statistical significance was p <0.05. Results: More than a quarter of students, who declare that they never have breakfast (26.3%), assess their health as "Middling", while among the students who have breakfast on a daily basis most of them are those (63.6%) who assess their health as "Very Good" (x² = 22.668; df = 12; p = 0.031). There is a statistically significant difference between our students in terms of consuming dinner. Among the respondents who "Never" have dinner the largest share (16.7%) of students are those who assess their health as "Bad", while four fifths (78.0%) of respondents, who assess their health as "Very Good", have dinner "Everyday" (x² = 21.348; df = 12; p = 0.046). Three quarters of students who evaluate their health as "Very Bad" (75.0%) eat fruits only "2 to 3 times a week", while more than three-fifths of students (67.7%), who evaluate their health as "Very Good", have fruits "Repeatedly" or "Once a day" (x² = 35,410; df = 16; p = 0,003). Among the students who evaluate their health as "Very Bad" the highest proportion (75%) of students are those who "Never" use cooked vegetables in the diet. On the other hand, most of the respondents, half of them (49.2%), who evaluate their health as "Very Good", use cooked vegetables in their diet "Repeatedly" or "Once a day" (x² = 34.878; df = 16; p = 0.004). Students (100%) who consider their health as "Very Bad" have soda drinks and sweets "Repeatedly", while less than a third of students (30.1%), who evaluate their health as "Very Good", do that (x² = 42,209; df = 16; p = 0,000). Students (100%) who evaluate their health as "Very Bad" have coffee "Repeatedly" or "Once a day", while more than a fifth of students (22.5%), who evaluate their health as "Very Good", "Never" drink coffee (x² = 37.125; df = 16; p = 0.002). Conclusion: The fact that acquiring healthy habits in youth contributes to better health and a better quality of life over a longer period requires the initiation of activities in terms of developing responsibility for one's own health.