Eating Habits Among Medical Students at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Figures & data

Table 1 Sociodemographic Characteristics of Participants (n=378)

Demographic Data	Value
Age (years)	21.6±0.1 (19.0–26.0)
Gender
Female	192 (50.8%)
Male	186 (49.2%)
Nationality
Saudi	367 (97.1%)
Non-Saudi	11 (2.9%)
Academic years
Second	95 (25.1%)
Third	70 (18.5%)
Fourth	63 (16.7%)
Fifth	80 (21.2%)
Sixth	70 (18.5%)
Marital status
Single	354 (93.7%)
Married	21 (5.6%)
Divorced	3 (0.8%)
Residence
Own	267 (70.6%)
Rent	111 (29.4%)
Living arrangement
Living alone	42 (11.1%)
Living with family	336 (88.9%)
Monthly household income (SR)
<3000 SR	124 (32.8%)
3000–10,000 SR	71 (18.6%)
>10,000 SR	183 (48.4%)
Smoking
Never smoked	273 (72.2%)
Ex-smoker	16 (4.2%)
Current smoker	89 (23.5%)
Smoking duration (years)	4.1±0.3 (1.0–13.0)
Chronic illness
No	346 (91.5%)
Yes	32 (8.5%)
Taking medications
No	326 (86.2%)
Yes	52 (13.8%)
Number of family members	6.2±0.1 (1.0–13.0)
Mother’s education level
University degree	140 (37.0%)
Secondary school	114 (30.2%)
Diploma	51 (13.5%)
Master’s degree	44 (11.6%)
No formal education	21 (5.6%)
Others	8 (2.1%)
Father’s education level
University degree	139 (36.8%)
Master’s degree	103 (27.2%)
Secondary school	60 (15.9%)
Diploma	54 (14.3%)
PhD	12 (3.2%)
No formal education	5 (1.3%)
Others	5 (1.3%)
Parents separated
No	331 (87.6%)
Yes	47 (12.4%)
Mother works
No	238 (63.0%)
Yes	140 (37.0%)
Plays sports
No	154 (40.7%)
Yes	224 (59.3%)
Number of days with regular exercise per week
Once	43 (11.4%)
Twice	63 (16.7%)
More than twice	118 (31.2%)

Note: Data were expressed as mean +/- standard error of mean (minimum–maximum) or number (%) as appropriate.

Abbreviation: SR, Saudi Real, 1 Dollar=3.75 SR.

Table 2 Eating Habits Among Respondents (n=378)

Characteristics	Value
Healthy eating habits
No	262 (69.3%)
Yes	116 (30.7%)
Q1. Regular meals
Yes	191 (50.5%)
No	187 (49.5%)
Q2. Frequency of having daily breakfast
1–2 times per week	78 (20.8%)
3–4 times per week	99 (26.2%)
Daily	131 (34.7%)
Rarely	70 (18.5%)
Q3. Frequency of having meals without snacks in between
1–2 times per week	98 (25.9%)
3–4 times per week	108 (28.6%)
Daily	67 (17.7%)
Rarely	105 (27.8%)
Q4. Frequency of having snacks
1–2 times per week	81 (21.4%)
3–4 times per week	128 (33.9%)
Daily	100 (26.5%)
Rarely	69 (18.3%)
Q5. Weekly consumption of vegetables
1–2 times per week	134 (35.4%)
3–4 times per week	113 (29.9%)
Daily	77 (20.4%)
Rarely	54 (14.3%)
Q6. Weekly consumption of fruits
1–2 times per week	155 (41.0%)
3–4 times per week	101 (26.7%)
Daily	45 (11.9%)
Rarely	77 (20.4%)
Q7. Weekly consumption of fried food
1–2 times per week	140 (37.0%)
3–4 times per week	143 (37.8%)
Daily	36 (9.5%)
Rarely	59 (15.6%)
Q8. Water intake (liters/day)
<1 liter	101 (26.7%)
1–1.5 liter	156 (41.3%)
1.5–2 liter	83 (22.0%)
> 2 liters	38 (10.1%)
Q9. Meals with family and friends
1–2 per week	63 (16.7%)
3–4 times per week	129 (34.1%)
Always alone	19 (5.0%)
Daily	167 (44.2%)
Q10. Fast food in restaurants
Never	23 (6.1%)
Often	106 (28.0%)
Sometimes	249 (65.9%)
Q11. Food type with balanced nutrition
All of them	1 (0.3%)
All types but not fried	1 (0.3%)
Balanced nutrition needs to be contained with carbs, proteins, and fats	1 (0.3%)
Carbohydrate (rice, bread)	21 (5.6%)
Cover your requirements from macros	1 (0.3%)
Daily needs of carbs, proteins, and fats	1 (0.3%)
Fruits	1 (0.3%)
Mainly meat	27 (7.1%)
Mainly vegetables	121 (32.0%)
Variety of foods	203 (53.7%)
Q12. Type of food most often ordered
Pasta, French fries	7 (1.9%)
Carbohydrates (rice, bread, etc.)	48 (12.7%)
Chicken	1 (0.3%)
Fatty food, ketogenic diet	1 (0.3%)
Predominantly meat	144 (38.1%)
Predominantly vegetable	14 (3.7%)
Variety of food	163 (43.1%)
Healthy habits score	4.2±0.1 (0.0–10.0)

Note: Data were expressed as mean +/- standard error of mean (minimum–maximum) or number (%), as appropriate.

Table 3 Psychological Factors Related to Eating Behavior (n=378)

Psychological Factors	Answer Level
	Never	Often	Sometimes
Eat because of feeling lonely	171 (45.2%)	38 (10.1%)	169 (44.7%)
Feel completely out of control when it comes to food	133 (35.2%)	60 (15.9%)	185 (48.9%)
Eat so much until stomach hurts	126 (33.3%)	43 (11.4%)	209 (55.3%)
Eat because of feeling upset or nervous	163 (43.1%)	56 (14.8%)	159 (42.1%)
Eat because of feeling bored	104 (27.5%)	81 (21.4%)	193 (51.1%)
Eat because of feeling happy	93 (24.6%)	71 (18.8%)	214 (56.6%)

Note: Data were expressed as number (%).

Table 4 Association Between Eating Habits and Sociodemographic Factors (n=378)

Characteristics	Mean ± SE	P-value
Gender		0.165
Male	4.10±0.14
Female	4.39±0.15
Nationality		0.107
Saudi	4.22±0.0
Non-Saudi	5.09±0.65
Academic year		<0.0001
Second	4.08±0.22
Third	4.54±0.23
Fourth	4.22±0.23
Fifth	3.35±0.19
Sixth	5.20±0.23
Marital status		0.254
Single	4.25±0.12
Married	4.33±0.52
Divorced	2.33±0.88
Residence		<0.001
Own	4.46±0.12
Rent	3.73±0.19
Living arrangement		0.005
Live alone	3.43±0.28
Live with family	4.35±0.11
Monthly household income (SR)		0.069
<3000	4.19±0.20
3000–10,000	3.80±0.22
>10,000	4.45±0.14
Smoking		<0.0001
Current smoker	3.23±0.19
Ex-smoker	4.50±0.63
Never smoked	4.56±0.12
Mother’s education level		0.484
Secondary school	4.16±0.20
Diploma	4.718±0.31
University degree	4.16±0.15
Master’s degree	4.84±0.33
No formal education	4.10±0.46
Others	4.38±0.42
Father’s education level		0.614
Secondary school	4.23±0.24
Diploma	4.35±0.28
Degree	3.99±0.18
Master’s	4.52±0.20
No formal education	4.20±0.73
PhD	4.50±0.51
Others	4.20±0.86
Parents separated		0.023
No	4.33±0.11
Yes	3.62±0.27
Mother works		0.955
No	4.25±0.13
Yes	4.24±0.17
Plays sports		0.0001
No	3.80±0.14
Yes	4.55±0.14

Notes: Data were expressed as mean standard error of mean. Significance was determined by either an unpaired Student’s t-test or one-way ANOVA test, as appropriate.

Table 5 Association Between Eating Habits and Psychological Factors (n=378)

Psychological Factors	Mean ± SE	P-value
Eat because of feeling lonely		<0.0001
Never	4.65±0.16
Often	3.32±0.26
Sometimes	4.04±0.15
Feel completely out of control when it comes to food		<0.0001
Never	4.85±0.19
Often	3.75±0.22
Sometimes	3.97±0.14
Eat so much until stomach hurts		<0.0001
Never	4.90±0.21
Often	3.84±0.29
Sometimes	3.93±0.12
Eat because of feeling upset or nervous		0.041
Never	4.52±0.16
Often	3.79±0.24
Sometimes	4.13±0.16
Eat because of feeling bored		<0.0001
Never	4.89±0.22
Often	3.75±0.18
Sometimes	4.10±0.14
Eat because of feeling happy		0.065
Never	4.65±0.23
Often	3.96±0.23
Sometimes	4.16±0.13

Notes: Data were expressed as mean standard error of mean. Significance was determined by one-way ANOVA test.