title: Health behaviors of Korean female nursing students in relation to obesity and osteoporosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It has been reported that young adults' dietary habits and health behaviors have significant effects on obesity and bone health. However, there is a lack of thorough understanding of the prevalence of unhealthy behaviors and potential relationships to obesity and osteoporosis among young females.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study examined dietary habits, health behaviors, anthropometric measurements, and bone mineral density of 160 female nursing students.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A relatively large number of students had vitamin D (n = 104, 65%) and calcium (n = 84, 52.5%) deficiencies but displayed excessive cholesterol (n = 86, 53.8%) and sodium (n = 137, 85.6%) intakes. Unhealthy dietary and health habits such as nighttime snacking, coffee drinking, low milk drinking, and lack of exercise were also noted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite their knowledge on health, a large portion of nursing students displayed unhealthy dietary habits and health. Tailored strategies and education to narrow the gap between health behavioral knowledge and practice are urgently needed.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Da-In
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, Research Institute of Nursing Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea. Electronic address: smi@snu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Smi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Choi-Kwon
authors.affiliation: Red Cross College of Nursing, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kihye
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D015519:Bone Density; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D015444:Exercise; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000517:prevention & control; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012982:Sodium, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013338:Students, Nursing; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000175:diagnosis; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D012982:Sodium, Dietary; D002784:Cholesterol; D002118:Calcium
keywords: Bone density; Health behaviors; Nursing students; Nutrition; Obesity