Abstract
The transition from high school to university life is associated with increased body mass. The current study examined the relationship between physical activity levels and food habits among male students in the Preparatory Year at the University of Dammam in Saudi Arabia. Participants included 67 male students (age = 20.0 +/- 1.2 years, and BMI = 23.9 +/- 6.1 kg/m(2)), and the study employed a cross-sectional design and was conducted in the 2nd semester of 2014. Participants completed a dietary questionnaire and wore accelerometers (ActiGraph-wGT3X-BT) for 7 consecutive days. The active group consumed dairy products, vegetable, and fruits 4-6 times a week compared with the non-active group who consumed these types of food only 1-3 times a week. The active group had lower BMI compared to the non-active group (p = 0.048). A linear regression showed that living on campus was the strongest associated factor that explained change in MVPA. Active commuting through walking was associated with increased MVPA. Increasing MVPA from 30 to 60 minutes was associated with lower BMI and increased fruit and vegetable consumption in university male students in their preparatory year.