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Overview of Eating Behavior among First-Semester Nutrition Students at Universitas Internasional Batam Prananingrum Kinasih1*.
Wahyu Aulia Hasibuan2.
Miftahul Jannah3.
Adelia Paradya Zetta4 Faculty of Health and Science.
Universitas Internasional Batam.
Indonesia Faculty of Health and Science.
Universitas Internasional Batam.
Indonesia Faculty of Health and Science.
Universitas Internasional Batam.
Indonesia Faculty of Health and Science.
Universitas Internasional Batam.
Indonesia *Corresponding Author: prananingrum.
kinasih@uib.
History of Article Submitted : October 13th, 2025
Revised : October 27th, 2025
Accepted : November 5th, 2025
Published : December 5th, 2025
DOI
: 10.
37253/nurish.
ABSTRACT
Background: Eating behavior among university students is an important determinant of health and nutrition outcomes.
Although nutrition students possess theoretical knowledge about healthy eating, their actual dietary habits may not always reflect this understanding.
This study aimed to describe the eating behavior of first-semester nutrition students at Universitas Internasional Batam.
Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 14 first-semester students from the Nutrition Program.
Faculty of Health and Science.
Universitas Internasional Batam.
Data were obtained from a self-administered online questionnaire consisting of 23 items assessing various eating behaviors, such as fruit and vegetable consumption, dessert habits, and fat and sugar intake control.
Affirmative (AuYesA.
responses were treated as indicators of healthy A composite score was calculated as the percentage of AuYesAy responses per participant, which was categorized as Non-risk (Ou75%).
Moderate .
Ae74.
9%), or At-risk (<50%).
Results: The mean percentage of healthy responses was 49.
4% (SD 13.
5%), ranging from 1% to 73.
None of the respondents were classified as Non-risk, while 28.
6% were Moderate and 71.
4% were At-risk.
The most frequently reported healthy behaviors were Autrying to eat more fruits and vegetablesAy .
9%) and Auoften trying to follow a healthy eating patternAy .
7%).
Conversely, very few respondents reported eating three portions of fruit daily .
3%) or choosing low-fat snacks .
4%).
Conclusion: Most first-semester nutrition students demonstrated limited consistent healthy eating behaviors, with the majority categorized as At-risk.
These findings highlight a potential gap between nutrition knowledge and dietary practice, emphasizing the need for practical, behavior-focused interventions in nutrition education.
Keywords: Batam.
Dietary Habits.
Eating Behaviour.
Nutrition Students.
University Nurish.
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BACKGROUND
University transitionAiespecially for first-year studentsAioften brings changes in food availability, meal regularity, autonomy in food choices, exposure to new social and peer influences, and different schedules.
These transitions may improve or worsen eating behavior depending on context and support .
Ae.
Students in nutrition programs are presumed to have above-average knowledge about dietary recommendations.
however, knowledge does not always translate into practice because of financial constraints, accessibility, time pressure, stress, social activities, and food environment .
Ae.
Studies in student populations internationally report mixed findings: while nutrition students frequently show greater knowledge about healthy behavior, their actual dietary patterns sometimes mirror those of their non-nutrition peers, with frequent snacking, skipping meals, and consumption of convenience foods reported in several settings .
Ae.
Understanding the eating behavior patterns among incoming nutrition students at Universitas Internasional Batam can inform curriculum design, targeted counselling, and early interventions .
eer programmes, practical cooking classes, campus food polic.
to support formation of sustainable, health-promoting behaviors.
The present study aims to describe the cross-sectional profile of self-reported eating behaviors among first-semester nutrition students at Universitas Internasional Batam, using a questionnaire with 23 behavior items spanning fruit/vegetable intake, choices when eating outside, snack and dessert behaviours, and simple food preparation practices.
METHODS
This is a descriptive, cross-sectional analysis of responses from first-semester students in the Program Studi Gizi.
Fakultas Kesehatan dan Sains.
Universitas Internasional Batam.
The dataset included responses from fourteen students who completed an online questionnaire.
All analyses presented are fully anonymized .
o names or emails are reporte.
The questionnaire consisted of 23 items focusing on concrete eating behaviors and choices .
, preference for low-fat foods when eating out, frequency of consuming desserts, fruit and vegetable intake, sugar control behaviours, usage of spreads, bringing snacks, and selection of beverage.
Response options varied but typically included AuYaAy.
AuTidakAy, and AuTidak pernahAy .
r equivalen.
The instrument in this dataset was not an EAT-26 questionnaire.
rather it measures day-to-day choices and health-oriented behaviours.
Because the instrument records affirmative behavior for each specific healthy habit, we operationalized a simple composite healthy behavior score: for each respondent, count number Nurish.
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of items answered AuYaAy, divide by the number of items answered .
o handle sporadic item nonrespons.
, and multiply by 100 to yield percent positive.
Rationale: for descriptive epidemiology and practical communication we considered affirmative responses to represent the behavior occurring for that respondent.
while this is a simplification .
requency and intensity are not capture.
, it enables summarising across heterogeneous items.
The classification of eating behavior in this study was based on the proportion of positive responses (AuYaA.
provided by each respondent.
The percentage of positive answers was calculated by dividing the number of healthy (AuYesA.
responses by the total number of items answered, then multiplied by one hundred.
Respondents were subsequently grouped into three categories according to their composite scores.
Those with a percentage of positive responses equal to or greater than 75% were classified as Non-risk (Goo.
, indicating consistent engagement in healthy eating behaviors.
Respondents with scores between 50% and 74.
were categorized as Moderate, reflecting partial adherence to healthy behaviors.
Meanwhile, respondents whose scores were below 50% were categorized as At-risk (Poo.
, suggesting inconsistent or limited healthy eating practices.
These cut-off points were determined pragmatically to describe relative behavioral patterns rather than as diagnostic criteria, allowing for a clearer interpretation of tendencies within the sample.
Data processing and analysis were conducted systematically using Microsoft Excel and statistical software.
The raw dataset was first imported into a data frame for cleaning and The variable AoUsiaAo .
was standardized by extracting numeric values from textual responses such as Au18 tahunAy or Au19 TahunAy to ensure uniformity in analysis.
The variable AoJenis kelaminAo .
was summarized as reported by the participants.
For each behavior item, the proportion of respondents answering AuYaAy was calculated to determine the frequency of positive behaviors across the sample.
Subsequently, a respondent-level composite score was generated to classify each individual into one of the three behavioral categories.
Descriptive statistical analysesAiincluding mean, standard deviation, minimum, maximum, and quartile valuesAiwere performed for both the percent-positive scores and the age All data were reported in aggregate form to maintain confidentiality, with no individual identifiers disclosed.
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
A total of fourteen first-semester nutrition students participated in this study.
After data cleaning, most respondents were between 18 and 19 years old, representing 85.
7% of the Nurish.
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ix respondents aged 18 years and six respondents aged 19 year.
, while only one respondent each was aged 20 and 21 years.
This age distribution reflects the typical entry age for undergraduate students in the nutrition program.
In terms of gender, the majority were female .
= 12.
7%), with one male respondent .
1%) and one respondent who did not specify gender .
1%).
The questionnaire used in this study consisted of 23 items assessing various aspects of eating behavior, such as the selection of low-fat foods when eating outside, fruit and vegetable consumption, dessert habits, avoidance of fried foods, management of sugar and fat intake, and choices related to snacks or beverages.
Responses were categorized into AuYes,Ay AuNo,Ay and AuNever,Ay with affirmative (AuYesA.
responses indicating engagement in a healthy eating Across all respondents, the mean proportion of positive (AuYesA.
responses was 49.
with a standard deviation of 13.
The lowest percentage of positive responses was 26.
and the highest was 73.
9%, indicating considerable variation in healthy eating behavior among Based on classification thresholdsAiwhere respondents with Ou75% positive answers were categorized as Non-risk (Goo.
, those between 50Ae74.
9% as Moderate, and those with <50% as At-risk (Poo.
Ainone of the students achieved the Non-risk category.
Ten respondents .
4%) fell into the At-risk (Poo.
group, while four respondents .
6%) were in the Moderate group.
This result suggests that most respondents had not yet consistently implemented healthy eating behaviors, even though they were students in a nutrition program.
When individual items were examined, several behaviors showed high adoption rates.
The vast majority of students .
9%) reported AuMencoba banyak makan buah dan sayurAy .
rying to eat more fruits and vegetable.
, followed by 85.
7% who stated AuSering mencoba pola makan sehatAy .
requently trying to follow healthy eating pattern.
Other commonly endorsed behaviors included AuMakan makanan penutup jika adaAy .
onsuming desserts when availabl.
and AuMakan makanan penutup di rumah mencoba yang rendah lemak seperti sayur dan buahAy .
hoosing low-fat desserts such as fruits and vegetables at hom.
, both with 78.
positive responses.
About 71.
4% of respondents reported AuMenjaga asupan gula agar tetap dalam batas rendahAy .
eeping sugar intake within low limit.
, and 64.
3% stated AuSaya pasti makan minimal satu porsi sayuran dalam sehariAy .
lways eating at least one portion of vegetables per da.
Conversely, several behaviors were found to have low adoption rates.
None of the respondents reported AuSering menambahkan krim pada makanan atau minumanAy .
ften adding cream to food or beverage.
, and only 14.
3% stated that they AuMembawa bekal makan Nurish.
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siang menambahkan coklat atau biscuitAy .
rought lunch with added chocolate or biscuit.
Likewise, only 14.
3% reported eating AuMakan minimal tiga porsi buah setiap hariAy .
t least three portions of fruit dail.
A small proportion .
4%) chose AuMembeli cemilan keripik yang rendah lemakAy .
uying low-fat snack.
, and 28.
6% indicated they AuKetika makan siang diluar sering memilih makanan rendah lemakAy .
ften selected low-fat foods when eating ou.
Furthermore, only about one-third .
7%) reported AuMemilih makanan penutup paling sehat saat makan di restoranAy .
hoosing the healthiest dessert option at restaurant.
Taken together, these findings illustrate that although nutrition students are aware of and practice some healthy habitsAiespecially those related to fruit and vegetable intakeAithey tend to have inconsistent adherence to other healthy behaviors.
The students generally exhibit positive intentions toward healthy eating but lack full consistency across a wide range of The dominance of the At-risk category suggests that the transition to university life may influence eating patterns through environmental, social, or practical constraints, even among individuals trained in nutrition sciences.
The findings of this study reveal that most first-semester nutrition students at Universitas Internasional Batam demonstrated suboptimal eating behaviors, despite their academic background in nutrition.
Although a considerable proportion of respondents reported making conscious efforts to consume more fruits and vegetables, their overall adherence to a wide range of healthy eating behaviors remained limited.
The average percentage of positive .
responses was 49.
4%, and more than two-thirds of participants were categorized as At-risk (Poo.
This result suggests that knowledge of nutrition alone does not necessarily translate into consistent healthy eating practices, particularly during the early transition to university life.
The high frequency of affirmative responses to items such as Autrying to eat more fruits and vegetablesAy and Aufrequently attempting to follow healthy eating patternsAy indicates that students possess good awareness and positive intentions toward healthy eating.
However, their low compliance with other behaviorsAisuch as consuming three portions of fruit daily, choosing low-fat snacks, or selecting healthier desserts at restaurantsAireflects challenges in transforming knowledge and intention into consistent daily habits.
Similar patterns have been reported in studies conducted among nutrition students in other settings, where theoretical understanding of healthy diets does not always correspond with actual food choices due to various external and internal factors.
One plausible explanation for these findings lies in the multiple transitions that first-year university students experience.
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to irregular meal schedules, reliance on convenience foods, and reduced control over food Environmental factors, such as limited healthy food options around campus and time constraints due to academic workload, may also discourage consistent healthy eating.
addition, economic limitations might restrict access to fresh fruits, vegetables, and healthier food alternatives, causing students to opt for cheaper, calorie-dense foods.
These situational barriers are often strong enough to outweigh personal knowledge and motivation.
Psychological factors may also contribute to inconsistent eating patterns.
Stress, adaptation to new academic and social environments, and peer influence can impact dietary Students under pressure may seek comfort in sweet or high-fat foods, as has been reported in several behavioral nutrition studies.
Even though some students consciously attempt to control their sugar intakeAias shown by 71.
4% who reported maintaining low sugar consumptionAistress-induced eating behaviors can undermine these efforts.
Thus, interventions targeting behavior change should address not only knowledge but also selfregulation, emotional coping, and environmental modification.
The observed inconsistency between intentions and behavior underscores the importance of integrating practical skill-based learning into the nutrition curriculum.
Instead of focusing solely on theoretical concepts, education should also include applied components such as meal planning, food budgeting, cooking demonstrations, and behavioral self-monitoring.
These activities may help students develop real-life strategies to apply their nutritional knowledge in everyday situations.
Moreover, creating a supportive food environment on campusAisuch as providing affordable healthy meals, promoting fruit and vegetable snacks, and improving the labeling of nutritious foodsAicould facilitate healthier choices among students.
Despite providing valuable insights, this study has several limitations that must be The small sample size .
= .
limits the generalizability of findings, and selfreported data are inherently susceptible to bias, particularly social desirability bias, as students may overreport healthy behaviors.
The use of yes/no responses also restricts the ability to capture frequency and portion size, which would provide a more comprehensive understanding of eating habits.
Furthermore, the classification thresholds used in this study were pragmatic rather than standardized clinical criteria, which may influence category distributions.
Nevertheless, these results serve as an important preliminary overview that can inform future Overall, this study highlights a clear gap between nutritional knowledge and consistent practice among first-semester nutrition students.
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Therefore, early interventions that combine nutrition education with behavioral and environmental strategies could have long-term benefits, both for studentsAo personal health and for their credibility as future nutrition professionals.
CONCLUSION
Among 14 first-semester nutrition students at Universitas Internasional Batam, self- reported attempts to eat more fruits and vegetables and to adopt healthy patterns are common, yet comprehensive adoption across a broad set of healthy behaviors is limited: the majority of respondents had less than half of the surveyed behaviors affirmed.
These findings suggest the presence of a knowledgeAepractice gap and highlight the need for practical, context-sensitive interventions .
urriculum, food environment, peer suppor.
to translate nutritional knowledge into consistent daily practices.
Given the small sample, these results should be considered larger, mixed-methods research is recommended.
REFERENCES