Introduction: Globally, there has been a recent rise in obesity and overweight among college students. In 2022, 43% of adults aged 18 years and above were reported to be overweight. Many physical- environmental and social- environmental factors contribute to nutritional vulnerability among college students, including peer and family influence, media, access and availability of food. There is inadequate research on these physical- and social- environmental factors among college nutrition students in Kenya. Therefore, this study aimed at establishing the environmental factors that influence the eating habits and nutrition status of students pursuing the nutrition and dietetics in middle-level institutions in Kenya. Materials and Methods: The research was guided by a mixed methods cross-sectional analytical study design, with an interest in both quantitative and qualitative data. 293 students in third- and second-year, and pursuing nutrition and dietetics at Karen, Molo, and Nyandarua Campuses of Kenya Medical Training College were sampled randomly. The study used questionnaires that were content-validated, semi-structured, and self-administered to collect data on social and physical environmental factors and eating habits. Qualitative data was collected using an observation checklist and Focus Group Discussion guides. Eating habits was determined using dietary diversity score and meal frequency. Waist and hip circumference measurements were collected and the Waist Hip Ratio was established. Qualitative data was transcribed and coded for common themes, from which conclusions were drawn. SPSS version 25.0 was used for data analysis. Descriptive statistics and Chi- square test, Man Whitney U test, one-way ANOVA, Bivariate Spearman’s rank order correlation, and Multivariate logistic regression analysis were also used in establishing the relationships between study variables. A p< 0.05 was used as the statistical significance level. Results: females (76%) constituted the larger portion of the participants, with a mean age 22.7(±2) years. The meals of the students comprised mainly of ugali, kales, rice beans/green grams, chapati beans/ green grams, and rice, carrot, peas, ugaliand cabbage. majority of the respondents (87%) consumed diverse diets, with a daily minimum recommended meal frequency of five meals. Sub-optimal eating habits were reported including skipping meals. Over half (58%) of the respondents reported negative and positive peer influence in the choice of the foods consumed. A chi-square test established a positive association between eating habits and the nutrition status of the students (p=0.009). There was a significant association between the occupation of the parents and the respondents’ WHR (p=0.004). Furthermore, there was a significant relationship between the amount of pocket money the students received and nutrition status (AOR = 1.917, p = 0.044). Students who received higher amounts of pocket money were more likely to be obese (high WHR) (AOR = 1.917, p = 0.044). Conclusion: In conclusion, this study has shown that peer and family influence, media, access and availability of food were key factors that influenced the eating habit, and consequently, the nutrition status of the study participants. There is, therefore, need for interventions targeting the physical and social environments for healthier eating habits among college students in middle-level institutions. Key words: Physical Environment, Social Environment, Eating habits, Overweight, Obesity, Nutrition students, Middle- level Institutions
Mwaniki et al. (Wed,) studied this question.