Physical activity, eating habits and percent body fat of Hong Kong college students

In the last two decades, Hong Kong has become more urbanized and industrialized, and urban lifestyles lead to increased risk factors of chronic disease. It is notable that the transition from education institute to work is a particularly important stage in the development of dietary and exercise patterns for later life. In Hong Kong, there is limited data available on physical activity and eating habits of college students. The purpose of this study was to investigate the physical activity, eating habits and percent body fat of Hong Kong college students. A total of 257 Chinese college students (87 males and 170 females) age 18 to 25 year-old participated in this study. Subjects' percent body fat was determined by BodPod Body Composition System, and self-completed questionnaires were administered to all subjects. It was found that the mean percent body fat of the subjects was to 12.86 ± 5.91 (Mean ± SD) and 25.16 ± 5.37 in males and females respectively. Regarding physical activity, approximately one quarter (28.4%) of total subjects did not exercise at all in a week, and about half (45.5%) of the total subjects exercised two to four times per week. When eating habits are concerned, results indicate that percentages of subjects having breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday were 35.8%, 48.6% and 79.8% respectively. Moreover, there were 14.4% of total subjects used to have breakfast on the road. Information obtained from this study can then be used for counseling purposes to enhance health-related behavior such as physical activity and eating habits in Hong Kong college students.