ArticleBMC public health2023
Assessing the relationship between food insecurity and lifestyle behaviors among university students: a comparative study between Lebanon and Germany.
Article in BMC public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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13 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Food-related coping strategies against food insecurity among households in selected communities in South-East Nigeria.BMC nutrition · 2026Article
- Exploring the validity and internal consistency of the 12-point Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener among Lebanese pregnant women.PloS one · 2026Article
- Sleep duration and food insecurity among minority urban college students: predictors of health and academic disparity.Frontiers in sleep · 2026Article
- Psychosocial and Academic Implications of Food Insecurity Among International Students: A Qualitative Study in Hungary.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Food Security in a College Community: Assessing Availability, Access, and Consumption Patterns in a Mexican Context.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Diet quality and food insecurity in Lebanon: insights into dietary diversity, mediterranean diet adherence, and phytochemical intake among adults.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Beyond Hunger: Uncovering the Link between Food Insecurity and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Adolescents.Current developments in nutrition · 2025Article
- Exploring Sleep Patterns in 3,475 College Students: A Comparative Study of Geographical Location, Gender, and Age.Sleep science (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2025Article
- Lack of association between food insecurity, eating disorders, and orthorexia nervosa: findings from a cross-sectional study in Lebanon.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Proportion of food insecurity and its sociodemographic correlates among Spanish adolescents: the EHDLA study.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
- Article
- Food insecurity and lifestyle behaviours in university students amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparative survey across three countries.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Mental distress, food insecurity and university student dropout during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020: evidence from South Africa.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundFood insecurity is a common public health problem in both developed and developing countries. This study aimed to profile food insecurity among university students in a developed country with stable economic circumstances (Germany) and a developing Mediterranean country undergoing a severe economic and financial crisis (Lebanon) and examine the associations between food insecurity and lifestyle behaviors (i.e., physical activity, sleep, and adherence to a healthy eating pattern, such as the Mediterranean diet), stress, and financial well-being.
methodThis online cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2021 and March 2022. Subjects were recruited through social media platforms (Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and personal email) and in-class announcements by several university professors of various majors and from different universities in Lebanon and Germany. The final sample included 547 participants (197 from Lebanon and 350 from Germany).
resultsOur findings showed a higher food insecurity rate in Lebanon compared with Germany (59% versus 33%). In the bivariate analysis, food insecurity was associated with insomnia (r = 0.230; p < 0.001) and stress (r = 0.225; p = 0.001); German university students had higher physical activity (p < 0.001), better diet quality (p < 0.001), and lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet (p < 0001) than Lebanese students. In the multivariable analyses, more stress was related to insomnia (B = 0.178; p < 0.001), while financial well-being was not associated with any of the lifestyle behaviors. Physical activity, insomnia, and Mediterranean diet adherence were not associated with the country or food insecurity (p > 0.05); however, living in Germany was associated with better diet quality (B = -7.85; p < 0.001).
conclusionThe high prevalence of food insecurity reported in this study is alarming, particularly among Lebanese students; German students had better diet quality and higher physical activity but worse adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Moreover, food insecurity was also associated with worse sleep and stress. Further studies are necessary to assess the role of food insecurity as a mediating factor between sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle behaviors.
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