Correlation between Religiosity and Nutritional Behavior in Students of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in Yazd

Abstract

Background: Today, bad and harmful nutritional behavior is one of the most important and common nutritional problems of young people. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between religiosity and nutritional behavior in students of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in Yazd City, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 310 students in the academic year 2017-2018 by stratified sampling method. Data collection tools were demographic questionnaire, Serajzadeh religiosity measures, and nutritional behavior questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS16 using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: The results showed a positive and significant correlation between religious attitude and nutritional behavior of students (P = 0.01, R = 0.78). Furthermore, religious attitude had a significant relationship with educational level and school of study. Moreover, a significant relationship was found between gender and nutritional behavior of students. Conclusion: Regarding the correlation between religiosity and nutritional behavior, the authorities are recommended to hold Islamic nutrition workshops in order to improve nutritional behavior of the students.