Poor eating habits among students may result in a lifetime of illness: Study

A team of researchers has warned that poor eating habits formed during post-secondary education may lead to obesity, respiratory diseases, and depression in the future. Dr. Joan Bottorff, a Professor at UBCO’s School of Nursing, is one of several international researchers who published a multi-site study on university students’ eating habits.
Almost 12,000 medical students from 31 Chinese universities participated in the study investigating the relationship between eating habits, obesity, and other disorders. According to Dr. Bottorff, many bad eating habits begin at university and can last for decades. She said, “We know many students consume high-calorie meals along with sugary foods and drinks and there is lots of evidence to show those kinds of eating behaviours can lead to obesity. These are not the only habits that lead to obesity, but they are important and can’t be ruled out.”
The study, published recently in Preventive Medicine Reports, was led by Dr Shihui Peng with the School of Medicine at China's Jinan University. While well-established research links unhealthy diets to many chronic diseases, this study aimed to show a relationship between poor eating habits and infectious diseases, including colds and diarrhea.
Dr. Bottorff notes that due to the nature of the study, it was impossible to show cause and effect, but the relationship between poor eating habits, obesity, and respiratory illnesses was well supported.
"There has been biomedical research that also supports this link between obesity and infectious diseases, and most recently this has been related to COVID-19," she adds. "We know from some of the recent publications related to COVID-19 obese people were more likely to have severe conditions and outcomes. Reasons that have been offered for this increased vulnerability include impaired breathing from the pressure of extra weight and poorer inflammatory and immune responses," she said.
A typical student diet of high-sugar or high-calorie foods can become a long-term issue as these habits can lead to obesity. Dr. Bottorff says there is evidence to show that stress and anxiety can cause overeating, but overeating can also lead to stress and depression.
"The bottom line here is that we shouldn't be ignoring this risk pattern among young people at university. It is well documented that a significant portion of students have unhealthy diets," she adds. "The types of foods they are eating are linked to obesity. And this can lead to other health problems that are not just about chronic disease but also infectious diseases.”
While Dr. Bottorff says, students should be taught about healthy eating while at university, the onus should be on the school to provide healthy and affordable food options for all students. "We need to think about the food environment that we provide students. We need to ensure that in our cafeterias and vending machines, there are healthy food options so that they can eat on the go but also make healthy food choices.”