Association of Night Eating Habits with Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in University Students

University students have dietary habits such as irregular eating habits, night eating habits (NEHs), and alcohol drinking, which can lead to nutritional problems. Especially, NEHs may increase the risk of chronic diseases and reduce the health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between NEHs and HRQoL and to evaluate if their associations may differ according to gender. Data were obtained from Eulji University March-April 2018. Participants were recruited via advertisements in school. The questionnaire, including socio-demographic factors, dietary and NEHs, and HRQoL was self-administered by participants. We found that, in males, when subjects with night eating frequency >= 1 time/week, the HRQoL showed a tendency to deteriorate compared to those with night eating frequency <1 time/week. In females, when the subject answered that they consumed a lot of night meal intake, their HRQoL was significantly deteriorated compared to those who answered that they consumed a moderate or small. Therefore, we confirmed that there is a slight difference in the factors of NEHs that affect the HRQoL by gender.

Automated summary

University students' dietary habits, such as irregular eating habits, night eating habits, and alcohol drinking, can lead to nutritional problems and reduce the health-related quality of life. This study found that the associations between night eating habits and health-related quality of life may differ according to gender.