Nutritional habits and physical activity among university students in Thailand

Abstract: Background: An unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity are leading global risks to public health and causes of many non-communicable diseases. Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate nutritional habits and physical activity among university students in Bangkok, Thailand. Method: This is a cross-sectional study with a quantitative method using a structured questionnaire where 121 second level students from the public health program answered. Result: This study showed that the majority of the participants more or less followed the national recommendations in Thailand regarding nutrition and physical activity. A lot of the students wanted to increase their daily intake of fruit and vegetables. The students showed less interest in physical activity but still met the recommended levels of activity. The males wanted to increase their daily intake of fruit and exercised in a greater extent than the females and the females weighed themselves more often. Conclusion: The results from this study showed that the Thai public health students followed the national recommendations regarding nutrition and physical activity. From what the students have stated in the questionnaire, there is no need for further interventions among this particular population.