Comparison of The Sleep Status and Nutrition Habits of the Students in The First and Second Education of Trakya University Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences

Abstract

Aim: Sleep duration and quality affect the food consumption and weight gain; also food consumption affects the sleep. It was found that the university students have very serious problems in terms of nutrition and sleep patterns. The aim of this study is to investigate the sleep status and eating habits of the students in the first and secondary education of university. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out with 130 students from first and 108 students from secondary education of the university. Height, weight, waist and hip measurements of each participant were taken. Demographic characteristics, habits, dietary behaviors and sleep patterns of the participants were evaluated. Results: It was determined that the students in the secondary education had a significantly higher rate of eating more at nights and skipped meals during the day. When all the participants were considered, there was a opposite and weak opposite correlation in the between the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Mediterranean Diet Quality Index scores. According to the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index, the ratio of those with very low dietary quality was 51.5% for the students in the first education and 61.1% for the students in the second education. Conclusion: It was found that, secondary education students eat more at night than first education students; they skip meals during the day and had a very low diet quality according to Mediterranean Diet Quality Index. In order to prevent these problems, regular sleep and nutrition training should be given to the students of secondary education.