Publication: Chrononutrition behaviours and physical activity of university students and its association with abdominal obesity
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2026-06
Authors
Othman, Muhammad Ekmal Hakim
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Abdominal obesity is an important risk factor for metabolic health problems, while chrononutrition behaviours and physical activity levels are lifestyle factors that may influence metabolic health among university students. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate chrononutrition behaviours and physical activity levels among 130 students at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Health Campus, and their association with abdominal obesity. Chrononutrition behaviours were assessed using the Malay Chrononutrition Profile Questionnaire, physical activity was measured with the Malay IPAQ-SF, and waist circumference was measured to classify abdominal obesity. The results indicated several unfavourable eating patterns: 56.7% of students reported frequent breakfast skipping (≥4 days/week), 30.7% engaged in late-night eating (≥4 nights/week), and 75.8% identified lunch as their largest meal. Conversely, 80.0% maintained an eating window of ≤12 hours. Regarding physical activity, 72.3% of students achieved at least a moderate level of activity (≥600 MET-min/week). The prevalence of abdominal obesity was 16.2%. Chi-square tests found no significant associations between chrononutrition behaviours and abdominal obesity (p > 0.05), nor between physical activity level and abdominal obesity (p = 0.237). In conclusion, although irregular eating habits were common, neither meal timing behaviours nor activity level were significantly related to abdominal obesity in this sample. The findings provide baseline data on meal timing and physical activity among young Malaysian adults. Continued health education on regular meal patterns and active lifestyles is recommended, and further research with larger samples is needed to confirm these findings.
Description
Keywords
-