Jessy El Hayek Fares
Notre Dame University, Lebanon
Title: Association between lifestyle, dietary factors and body composition among Notre Dame University students: A cross-sectional study
Biography
Biography: Jessy El Hayek Fares
Abstract
This study aims to examine the effect of dietary, socio-demographic and lifestyle factors on body composition among students from Notre Dame University. In this cross-sectional study, socio-demographic, lifestyle, anthropometric variables including body composition (soft lean mass (SLM), percent body fat (PBF), and visceral fat area (VFA)) were collected. Stress was assessed through the perceived stress scale (PSS). Diet was assessed through MEDFICTS. Out of 392 students, 3.1% were underweight, 59% were normal, 40% were overweight and obese. In women, 10.5%, adhered to the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) compared to men (2.5%), while 52.5% of men needed dietary changes compared to 39.5% of women, (p<0.01). Men who adhered to TLC were in the first tertile of PBF. Participants in the first tertile of PBF/VFA/SLM had the lowest waist circumference (WC), BMI, and highest fitness score. Only men in the first tertile of SLM had the highest waist to height (WHt). Smoking was associated with PBF in men only. Total number of hours of sleep was not associated neither with PBF/SLM in both genders nor with VFA in women, while men in the first VFA tertile slept more (7.5 hours) than those in the third tertile (6.9 hours) (p<0.01). Even though the majority of the sample was of normal weight; most men were overweight or obese. The association between lifestyle and dietary factors and body composition was not similar across genders; accordingly, it is important to provide gender based nutrition interventions in universities