title: Nutritional habits in Italian university students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dietary habits have been indicated by research as key elements in both disease pathogenesis and prevention and health promotion.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed data collected from Italian university students regarding consumption of fruits, vegetables, fast-foods, sweets, energizing drinks, and coffee, average number of eating episodes per day and regularity of breakfast habits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  44% of the university student population eats in average at least 1 portion of fruit per day. 22.5% eats at least 2 portions of vegetables per day. 8.5% eats in average 5 times per day with 48.6% declaring an average of 3 eating episodes per day. 11.3% consumes eccessive amounts of caffeine. 49.1% of the females reaches the recommended consumption of fruit, compared to only 33.8% of males (p < 0.05). 27.7% of females eats at least 2 portions of vegetables per day, compared to 12.0% of males (p < 0.05). Eccessive coffee drinkers pass from 8.9% in the 18-21 age group to 16% in the 25-30 year old age group (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed that the eating habits of young adults do not follow national recommendations. Less than 50% of university students eats at least 1 portion of fruit per day and less than 1 out of 4 eats at least 2 portions of vegetables per day. Less than 10% of the students eats in average 5 times per day and more than 1 out of 3 does not have breakfast regularly every morning.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Interventions targeting university students are required in order to increase their knowledge on healthy eating habits and to ameliorate their dietary behaviours.
authors.forename: Adele Anna
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Teleman
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Sanità Pubblica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: de Waure
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Sanità Pubblica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Soffiani
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Sanità Pubblica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Poscia
authors.forename: Maria Luisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Di Pietro
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003069:Coffee; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014495:Universities; D014675:Vegetables; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003069:Coffee