The Association between Dietary Intake and Sleep Chronotype among University Students in TARUMT

Michael, Elizabeth Kavisha (2023) The Association between Dietary Intake and Sleep Chronotype among University Students in TARUMT. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

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Abstract

A complex dietary intake of a balanced diet will bring many health benefits to the consumers from younger and older generations in all age groups. Nevertheless, it plays a vital role in managing the prevalence of chronic diseases among consumers. The objective of this study is to determine the association between dietary intake and sleep timing among university students and their nutritional status. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 415 students were recruited aged 18 to 59 years old and only 383 subjects were included and analyzed from university students in TARUMT, Kuala Lumpur. Dietary intakes were assessed using the Healthy Eating Index method and sleep timing profiles using Munich Chronotype Questionnaire were also obtained. According to the survey conducted, subjects had partially adequate dietary intakes where they students may consume the food from the dietary components on their daily basis however ensure the quantity needed of individual consumption. There is a significant difference between student dietary intake and their ethnicity. Hence, this may be due to their eating behavior, belief, childhood and many more. On the other hand, the sleep timing profiles of an individual varies and this may be due to their changes in sleep behavior which affect the person's sleep timing and duration. However, there is no significant difference found in the association between dietary intake and sleep timing of participants. Individual nutrient and food component considerations provide important benchmarks for assessing overall diet quality. A differentiation between foods is made possible by the ideas of "core" and "discretionary" foods (correspondingly, "nutrient-rich" and "nutrient-poor" foods). Dietary habits can change based on a number of characteristics, including gender, socioeconomic level, ethnicity, culture, and others, but they can also differ based on the correlations that these elements have with one another. Since dietary timing has a synergistic effect on health, or when combined with other lifestyle factors, it can be referred to as a timing of lifestyle. In conclusion, efforts need to be taken to increase awareness regarding the benefits of proper dietary timings and sleep timings among university students. More studies need to be conducted on the sleep behavior such as sleep timing of adolescents where this will allow them to gain knowledge regarding the dietary components. Key words: Sleep timing profiles, chronic disease, university students, dietary intake