The association between the dietary behavior, diet quality, and lifestyle scores with anthropometric indices and happiness levels among university students.

Background: Limited information exists linking food habits, diet quality, and lifestyle scores with anthropometric indices and happiness levels. Our aim was to examine the association between food habits, diet quality, and lifestyle scores with anthropometric indices and happiness levels in the Iranian population.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 200 students randomly selected from a university in Iran. Dietary intakes, physical activity (PA), and happiness levels of study participants were assessed using validated questionnaires. The anthropometric indices examined in this study included the body shape index (ABSI), body roundness index (BRI), and abdominal volume index (AVI). Multiple logistic regression models were used to examine the association between food habits, diet quality, and lifestyle scores with anthropometric indices and happiness levels.

Results: The mean age and body mass index (BMI) of study participants were 23.5 years ± 4.52 and 23.8 kg/m2 ± 3.17, respectively. In the study population, no significant association was seen between ABSI, BRI, AVI and happiness with food habits, diet quality, and lifestyle scores respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders (age, energy intake, marital status, education, smoking, physical activity, gender, and BMI), the association remained not significant for ABSI and food habits, diet quality, and lifestyle scores respectively (OR: 0.56, 95% CI (0.25-1.34), P = 0.193; OR: 0.59, 95% CI (0.22-1.57), P = 0.413; OR:1.19, 95%CI (0.54-2.63), P = 0.652), BRI and food habits, diet quality, and lifestyle scores respectively (OR:1.98, 95% CI (0.41-9.49), P = 0.381; OR: 0.57, 95%CI (0.12-2.74), P = 0.512; OR: 1.19, 95% CI (0.3-4.71), P = 0.811), AVI and food habits, diet quality, and lifestyle scores (OR:1.15, 95% CI (0.53-2.48), P = 0.743, OR:1.01, 95% CI (0.47-2.18), P = 0.965; OR: 1.3, 95% CI (0.64-2.65), P = 0.465) and happiness and food habits, diet quality, and lifestyle scores respectively (OR:0.3, 95%CI (0.07-1.25), P = 0.972; OR: 0.77, 95%CI (0.18-3.19), P = 0.724, OR: 0.3, 95% CI (0.07-1.25), P = 0.083).

Conclusions: No significant association was detected between food habits, diet quality, and lifestyle scores with anthropometric indices and happiness levels. However, longitudinal studies are required to confirm these findings.