2024 Volume 17 Issue 1 Pages 60-70
【Aim】
The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between well-balanced eating habits and environmental factors among young Japanese athletes according to living arrangement.
【Methods】
We conducted an online cross-sectional survey of young Japanese athletes aged 18-30 years between October 2020 and January 2021. Of the 1,293 respondents, a total of 1,239 were included in the analysis (95.8% response rate). The subjects were divided into two groups according to the frequency of their daily intake of each food category (staple dishes, main dishes, side dishes, dairy products, and fruits): a high-frequency group (those with a daily intake of each food category above the median value), and a low-frequency group (other). Differences in environmental factors between the high-frequency and low-frequency groups were evaluated using a chi-square analysis according to each type of living arrangement (living alone, living with family, or living in a dormitory).
【Results】
The response rate of “having someone prepare meals for me” was significantly higher in the high-frequency group of athletes living with family and in a dormitory. Among female athletes living with family and in a dormitory, a higher proportion of the high-frequency group responded that they followed rules regarding meals that were imposed by their teams. For those living alone, there were no consistent differences between the high-frequency and low-frequency groups.
【Conclusion】
These results suggest that the presence of someone preparing meals and the imposition of dietary rules were associated with having well-balanced eating habits among those who do not live alone and in female athletes living with family or in a dormitory, respectively.
