Nutritional Status and Physical Activities among Army Trainees in Public Institutions of Higher Education in Malaysia

Zulaikha Mohd Rashid, Suriah Abd Rahman, Zalifah Mohd Kasim, Wan Aida Wan Mustapha, Mohd Hazali Mohamed Halip, Zulmadi Arifin, Ummul Fahri Abdul Rauf

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DOI: 10.4236/fns.2011.26074                

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the nutritional status and physical activities of university students that enrolled in military training with the age range of 20 - 34 years. Nutritional status assessment was based on eating habit questionnaires, anthropometric measurements with body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), food intake records for three days and also food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Assessment of physical activities was carried out using physical activities records. Food intake and physical activities data were analyzed using the Nutri-Antro Web (NAW) software. Generally, the subjects were found to have good nutrition knowledge and food intake habits, except for having an irregular meal time (85.0%). Based on BMI studies, 80.0% of male subjects and 78.6% of female subjects were within normal range with the average of 22.94 ± 2.97 kg/m2 and 21.40 ± 3.06 kg/m² respectively. None of the subjects had WHR above the cut-off point of 1.0 for men and 0.85 for women. The average energy intake for male and female was 2589 ± 687 kcal and 1959 ± 460 kcal respectively. Overall, nutrient intake of both genders fulfilled Malaysia Recommended Nutrient Intake 2005 (RNI) except for the average energy intake of the female subjects. The daily physiccal activities patterns revealed that 73.6% was used for light activities, 19.7% for moderate while 7.4% for heavy activities. The average daily energy expenditure for male subjects (3161 ± 444 kcal) was higher than the female subjects (2492 ± 388 kcal). Both male and female subjects have negative energy balance of -572 kcal and -533 kcal respecttively. Majority of the subjects were categorized as physically active (77.9%). Pearson correlation test showed that physical activities were positively correlated (p < 0.05) with BMI, WHR and nutrient intakes except for the intake of vitamin C. In conclusion, nutritional status and physical activity level of subjects were satisfactory.

Keywords

Anthropometry, Energy, Military Training, Nutritional Status, Physical Activities

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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