Determination of Calcium Intake among Students in Tunku Abdul Rahman University College

Heng, Chun Xuan (2019) Determination of Calcium Intake among Students in Tunku Abdul Rahman University College. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University College.

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Abstract

Calcium is an important mineral playing a vital role to maintain bone health. Calcium intake is considered as one of the most important determinants to assess the calcium status and to evaluate the calcium deficiency in the human body. However, university students tend to have poor eating practices and this is related to nutritional status. The objectives of this study are (i) To determine the calcium intake among Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC) students through 24-Hour Dietary Recall (24HR) and Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) assessment; (ii) To determine the correlation between calcium intake and sociodemographic of students including gender, ethnic, educational level and living condition; (iii) To determine the main calcium-rich food sources that are frequently consume daily by students through FFQ. In this study, 384 students from age 18 to 29 were recruited from TAR UC. For each participant, calcium status was assessed by 24HR. FFQ was used to evaluate student’s nutritional habits and to assess the consumption of calcium-rich food. Overall, the mean calcium intake was 445.1±332.2 mg/day, and 59.1% of students considered low calcium intake; 35.2% of students considered moderate calcium intake and only 5.7% considered high calcium intake through 24HR. In term of calcium level correlation with sociodemographic, there were no significant difference in gender, ethnic and education level but there was significant difference according to living condition of students. Daily food intake and food frequency analysis showed that canned sardine, yogurt, cheese, anchovies and tempeh are the most consumed food and the main source of daily calcium intake. Conclusion, this study clearly showed that calcium intake status is very low in TAR UC students. Hence, specific strategies including nutritional education are needed for students in order to increase their calcium intake level and health.