THE DIETARY HABITS OF SAUDI MEDICAL STUDENTS, JEDDAH- A SURVEY STUDY

Background: College students' poor dietary habits are a big public health issue. As the economy and government of Saudi Arabia have improved quickly over the last several decades, so too have the eating habits of the Saudi people. The current study aimed to assess the dietary habits of Saudi Arabian medical students. Methods: A descriptive, correlational cross-sectional design was employed for this study. The study was conducted at medical schools in Jeddah: [King Abdul Aziz University, King Saud University, Ibn Sina Private Medical College, Batarji Private Medical College, and Fakeeh Private Medical College]. The participants were selected during December 2022. Study participants were selected on two steps, stratified random sampling at the level of universities, to determine the required sample size from each college, then non-probability convenient sampling technique to collect the sample size from each college. Sample size was determined according to the total number of medical students in Jeddah with a confidence level of 95% and marginal error of 5%. Study instruments consisted of two domains. First is sociodemographic characteristics of medical students. Second is dietary pattern assessment. Results: The study included 338 medical students from all academic levels. There were 195 male participants (57.7%) and 143 female participants (42.3%). The median age among study participants was 22 years. The most frequent age group was 18-22 years (n= 199, 58.9%). Dietary pattern of study participants was assessed through a series of questions about their weekly intake of certain groups of food. It was noticed that study participants had different dietary patterns. Female participants eat fast food more than males (P Conclusion: Study results showed that study participants had different dietary patterns. Female participants eat fast food more than males while male participants eat fruits and vegetables more. No difference was found in physical activity.