TY - JOUR
T1 - Lifestyle behaviors associated with dietary quality in higher education students: A systematic review
AU - Doak, Stephen
AU - O'Callaghan, Niamh
AU - Kearney, John
AU - McCormack, Jacqueline
AU - Keaver, Laura
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Background: During the transition from secondary school into higher education many lifelong health-related behaviors are established. Evidence suggests that unhealthy diet and lifestyle behaviors correlate, causing an increase in co-morbidities, affecting overall health. Objective: The aim of this review was to identify the relationship between dietary quality and lifestyle behaviors among higher education students. Methods: A systematic search was performed online, in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Inclusion criteria were studies conducted among higher education students, dietary intake assessment and its association with a lifestyle behavior, use of validated tools, and published in English from 2000-2021. One researcher screened abstracts and two independently screened the full text of retrieved papers. One researcher extracted data in consultation with a second researcher. Risk of bias was assessed by the first author and two independent assessors. Results: Forty-five papers, from forty-five countries, with a total of 185,148 participants met the eligibility criteria. Causal relationships could not be established due to cross-sectional design of studies. Three dietary categories were used: i) total dietary intake, ii) dietary patterns, and iii) fruit and vegetable consumption. Lifestyle behaviors assessed were physical activity (PA), sleep, alcohol, and smoking. Twenty-one of twenty-four (88%) studies that assessed the relationship between PA and diet found a significant positive relationship. Six of ten (60%) papers that examined the relationship between sleep and diet found a significant positive association. Higher alcohol use was significantly associated with diet in five out of seven (71%) studies. Seven of eighteen (39%) studies that tested for an association between smoking status and diet found a significant relationship. Conclusions: There was evidence of a correlation between higher diet quality and both higher PA levels and lower alcohol consumption. Smoking status and sleep both had an inconclusive relationship with diet. Future research is needed to clarify these relationships inform healthy campus committees when planning services for students.
AB - Background: During the transition from secondary school into higher education many lifelong health-related behaviors are established. Evidence suggests that unhealthy diet and lifestyle behaviors correlate, causing an increase in co-morbidities, affecting overall health. Objective: The aim of this review was to identify the relationship between dietary quality and lifestyle behaviors among higher education students. Methods: A systematic search was performed online, in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Inclusion criteria were studies conducted among higher education students, dietary intake assessment and its association with a lifestyle behavior, use of validated tools, and published in English from 2000-2021. One researcher screened abstracts and two independently screened the full text of retrieved papers. One researcher extracted data in consultation with a second researcher. Risk of bias was assessed by the first author and two independent assessors. Results: Forty-five papers, from forty-five countries, with a total of 185,148 participants met the eligibility criteria. Causal relationships could not be established due to cross-sectional design of studies. Three dietary categories were used: i) total dietary intake, ii) dietary patterns, and iii) fruit and vegetable consumption. Lifestyle behaviors assessed were physical activity (PA), sleep, alcohol, and smoking. Twenty-one of twenty-four (88%) studies that assessed the relationship between PA and diet found a significant positive relationship. Six of ten (60%) papers that examined the relationship between sleep and diet found a significant positive association. Higher alcohol use was significantly associated with diet in five out of seven (71%) studies. Seven of eighteen (39%) studies that tested for an association between smoking status and diet found a significant relationship. Conclusions: There was evidence of a correlation between higher diet quality and both higher PA levels and lower alcohol consumption. Smoking status and sleep both had an inconclusive relationship with diet. Future research is needed to clarify these relationships inform healthy campus committees when planning services for students.
M3 - Article
JO - International Journal of Health, Nutrition and Exercise Science
JF - International Journal of Health, Nutrition and Exercise Science
ER -
