Comparison of Habitual Dietary Intake by Residential Patterns of University Students and Junior College Students: A Meta-analysis of Observational Studies

Abstract

  In recent years, the living environment of university students has become increasingly diverse, and residential patterns and dietary content have changed significantly. Several studies have examined the association between residential patterns and habitual dietary intake, but their results have been inconsistent. In this study, we used a meta-analytic approach to investigate whether energy, nutrient, and food group intakes differ between students who lived alone and those who lived at home. A comprehensive search was conducted using Google Scholar, CiNii and Ichuushi web databases to identify any relevant studies published until November 2023. In this meta-analysis, the results of a screening included 10 observational studies with a total of 1,322 subjects. The pooled analysis for the random-effects model showed that energy (MD = -241.19, 95%CI -337.42 to -144.97, p < 0.00001, I² = 74%), protein (MD = -9.42, 95%CI -13.12 to -5.72, p < 0.00001, I² = 73%), fat (MD = -8.19, 95%CI -11.86 to -4.52, p < 0.0001, I² = 69%), and carbohydrate (MD = -17.34, 95%CI -31.43 to -3.25, p = 0.02, I² = 79%) intakes were significantly lower in students who lived alone than in those who lived at home. These results suggest that residential patterns may strongly affect habitual dietary intake among college and junior college students. However, these results should be interpreted with caution because there are few reports in peer-reviewed journals or cohort studies.