Üniversite Öğrencilerinde Besin Güvencesizliği ile Obezite Arasındaki İlişkinin İncelenmesi

Abstract

ABSTRACT Bor, H. Investigation of the Relationship between Obesity and Food Insecurity among University Students, Hacettepe University Institute of Health Sciences, Master of Science Thesis in Food Service Systems Program, Ankara, 2018. Food insecurity, which is defined as the inability to provide the necessary nutrients for a healthy life due to low socioeconomic level or famine, can cause obesity and other health problems. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between obesity and food insecurity among university students. The study was conducted on randomly sampled 420 volunteers aged between 18 and 25 years who were educated at the Faculties and Schools of Gümüşhane University between September 2016 and June 2017 and did not use a special diet due to chronic illness. A questionnaire including demographics, food consumption status, physical activity levels and the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) were administered to the volunteers using face-to-face interview method. In addition, body mass indexes (BMI), waist/hip and waist/height ratios were calculated by taking anthropometric measurements of the individuals. According to the obtained results, 59,2% of the males and 54,5% of the females are food secure (p> 0,05). While the mean of BMI was respectively found as 23,5±3,5 kg/m2 and 24,4±2,6 kg/m2 in food secure and food insecure groups of males, it was respectively determined as 21,8±3,2 kg/m2 and 24,2±4,3 kg/m2 in food secure and food insecure groups of females. In males and females, food secure and food insecure participants were found to have mostly sedentary or mild active activity (respectively; %40,8, %40,8 and %64,9, %65,2) (p>0,05). In terms of daily energy and nutrient intake, there was no statistically significant difference among food secure and food insecure groups in males and females (p>0,05). In order to reduce and prevent food insecurity in university students, it has utmost importance to increase social state practices such as boarding dormitory, scholarship and nutrition assistance. In order to understand better the relationship between food insecurity and obesity in our country, it is required to do studies in larger populations. Key Words: Food insecurity, obesity, socioeconomic level, nutritional status.