Study on Dietary Factors Associated with Obesity Among University Freshmen

Backgroud Adolescent obesity can lead to various diseases such as type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, and dyslipidemia, while increasing the risk of chronic diseases in adulthood. The development of obesity is influenced not only by food types and intake quantity but also by eating behaviors, including eating speed, meal timing, breakfast frequency, and nighttime eating. However, the association between dietary behaviors and obesity among Chinese adolescents remains unvalidated. Objective To explore the association between dietary behaviors and adolescent obesity, and to provide scientific evidence for effective obesity prevention strategies. Methods A multistage sampling approach was employed: simple random sampling selected 7 provinces nationwide; convenience sampling identified 16 universities within these provinces; cluster sampling included all first-year students aged 16-19 years from the selected universities. Data on current height, weight, and dietary behaviors were collected via self-administered electronic questionnaires. Statistical analyses (chi-square tests and Logistic regression) were performed using SPSS 26.0 and R 4.3.3. Results A total of 16 445 freshmen were surveyed, including 6 710 males (40.80%) and 9 735 females (59.20%), with an average age of (18.04±0.75) years. The highest proportions were in the 18 years (9 618 cases, 58.49%) and 19 years (4 169 cases, 25.35%) age groups, and 5 375 (32.68%) were only children. The overall obesity rate among adolescents was 10.48% (1 723/16 445). The obesity rates of adolescents with much faster, slightly faster, and much slower eating speeds were 15.02% (587/3 908), 9.41% (1 029/10 930), and 6.66% (107/1 607), respectively, and the obesity rate increased with the acceleration of eating speed (P