Nutritional Status,Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption and Physical Activity Level in Male and Female College Students Living in Dormitory

Abstract:
Introduction: The global prevalence of obesity is on the rise, including in Indonesia. High energy intake from sugar is a
growing concern worldwide due to its association with weight gain, tooth decay, and non-communicable diseases. A prior study revealed that, according to the WHO recommendation, 10.9% of Indonesian adults consumed energy from sweetened beverages. This study aimed to assess the consumption of sweetened beverages by male and female college students in Indonesia.
Method: The study was conducted at Universitas Indonesia and involved 107 subjects aged 19-21 who resided in student
dormitories.
Result: The result found the median BMI in females was higher than in males. In females, 3 out of 10 students were
overweight-obese, while 1 out of 10 in males. Interestingly, the median daily intake of sweetened beverages was significantly higher in males than females; 387 (25–1580) vs 246 (0–762) ml/day (p=0.001). Added sugar content in beverages in males was higher than half of the Indonesian recommendation (28.4 [1.9–134.4] vs 19.2 [0–61.1]), which contributed to energy as much as 170.9 (12.4–625.7) kcal/ day or about 8.9% of total energy intake than female (108.5 [0–394.4] kcal/day). Compared to Indonesian guidelines, 12% of male subjects consumed added sugar higher than 50 g/day. Simultaneously, 7 out of 10 subjects consumed energy from sweetened beverages higher than 10% of their total energy intake (WHO recommendation). The BMI and prevalence of overweight obesity were higher in females, while the sweetened beverage was higher in males. The physical activity in males might cause it to be higher than in females. Although male had higher energy intake from SSB, their energy output through physical activity was balanced with energy input.
Conclusion: These findings alerted that the university as an educational institution should take action to prevent this issue since the prevalence of overweight-obesity and sweetened beverage consumption has occurred at a young age.