Nutritional Knowledge, Attitude towards Food, Food Consumption Behavior, and Nutritional Status in Nursing Students, Faculty of Nursing, Mahidol University
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2011-01-24
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Faculty of Nursing, Mahidol University
Abstract
Purpose: To explore the nutritional knowledge, attitude towards food, food consumption behavior, and nutritional status and the associations between age, nutritional knowledge, attitude towards food, food consumption behavior, and nutritional status in nursing students.Design: Descriptive correlational study.Methods: The sample contained 258 nursing students in both baccalaureate and masters programs at the Faculty of Nursing, Mahidol University. The data were collected using questionnaires on demographic characteristics, nutritional knowledge, attitudetowards food, and food consumption behavior. The subjects’ weight, waist and hip circumference, and body fat were also measured. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients.Main findings: The results indicated that the nursing students had the average percentages of nutritional knowledge and attitude towards food at moderate levels (67.2 % and 77.6 %, respectively). However, their overall food consumption behaviors were quiteinappropriate with an average percentage of 57.4. According to the nutritional status, 30% of the sample had body mass index less than normal level, whereas 11% of the students were over nutritional status and obesity. Of the sample in the study, 45.5 % had body fat higher than normal level. According to the resultsof the correlations, age had positive significant relations to nutritional knowledge, attitude towards food, and nutritional status, while it had a negative significant relation to food consumption behavior (p\< .01). In addition, attitudes towards food had a positive significant relations to nutritional status, including body mass index, body fat, and waist circumference (p\< .05).Conclusion and recommendations: Although the nursing students had moderate levels of nutritional knowledge and attitude towards food, they were likely to engage in inappropriate food consumption behaviors. The students who were older were morelikely to practice inappropriate food consumption behaviors. The results indicated that some of the students had nutritional status lower than normal levels; some of them were obesity, whereassome of them were at risk. Faculty of Nursing should develop education related to nutrition in the curriculum intensively, especially in undergraduate program, and promote good attitudes to selecting appropriate food for healthy and well-being. Student development affairs should promote appropriate food consumptionbehaviors to improve nutritional status of nursing students by motivating and promoting exercise.
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Journal of Nursing Science (วารสารพยาบาลศาสตร์ มหาวิทยาลัยมหิดล); Vol.28 No.3 July-September 2010; 40-49