Food habits and food awareness among university female students : comparative study

Abstract EN

 This study was conducted to compare the food habits and food awareness among Damietta University female students, in the years 2007 and 2016.

The researcher compared the results obtained in her Master's thesis in 2007 with the results obtained by the same questionnaire in 2016.

Education level, job level, food habits and food awareness was evaluated for 211and 174 students, aged 18-23 years in the years 2007 and 2016 respectively.

Obtained results showed that 41.2% , 33.3% of girls were good food awareness, 49.3% , 24.7% of girls were medium food awareness, 9.5% , 41.9% of girls were poor food awareness in the years 2007 and 2016 respectively and the result difference is considered to be extremely statistically significant in Significant level 0.05 (t ꞊ 5.257, P value꞊ 0.0001).

This draws attention to the decline in food awareness among girls in 2016 than in 2007, Contrary to the researcher's expectation and may reflect the state of the decline of food culture in society experienced by the community in recent years in satellite channels and social media.

In contrast, the ratio of 61% , and 46.6% of girls eating sometimes between meals in the years 2007 and 2016 respectively.

Relatively, time of eating between meals 36.5% , 31% of the girls was eating between breakfast and lunch, but 28% , 36.8% of the girls were eating a meal between lunch and dinner in the years 2007 and 2016 respectively.

Finally, the most girls in both 2007 and 2016 prefer eating when they watching TV.

Key Words: food habits, food awareness, university female students, Questionnaires.