Dietary Patterns and Nutritional Habits of Students at Six Different Universities of Lahore: A Cross-Sectional Study in Lahore, Pakistan, 2026

Abstract

In Lahore, Pakistan, university students face dietary challenges due to a variety of factors, including academic stress, lifestyle changes, and socioeconomic factors. This study aims to evaluate the dietary patterns and nutritional habits of students across selected universities in Lahore. This study aimed to assess the Dietary patterns and nutritional habits of students at different Universities of Lahore. Using a convenience sampling method, this cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2026 to June 2026, among university students enrolled in six different universities in Lahore. A 23-item food frequency measure, a 14- item dietary habit scale, and sociodemographic characteristics of participants were assessed through a questionnaire. SPSS version 23 was used for statistical analysis. Chi-square test was applied to evaluate the relationship between demographic factors and dietary adequacy. To find important predictors of dietary behaviour, multiple linear regression and Pearson correlation analysis were performed. The study has 400 university students in total. Overall, moderate eating behaviours were indicated by the mean dietary habit score of 29.2 ± 3.04. Most of the demographic variables were not significantly related to dietary adequacy (p > 0.05). The secondary education level of the father emerged as a significant positive predictor for nutrition adequacy using multiple regression analysis, while the fourth year of study emerged as a negative predictor. Healthy food consumption was highly positively related to fruit and vegetable intake (r = 0.727, p < 0.001), consumption of dairy products (r = 0.492, p < 0.001), and general eating habits regarding processed food intake (r = 0.400, p < 0.001). The survey results indicated that many university students maintained moderate eating patterns, but only a third of them had adequate eating patterns, while many of them maintained inadequate eating patterns. Therefore, it is imperative for policymakers, university officials, and health practitioners to develop effective nutrition education programs, provide affordable healthy food choices, and boost the diet knowledge level of the students at universities. Keywords: Dietary habits, food consumption patterns, dietary adequacy, nutrition deficiency, calorie intake, socioeconomic factors.