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International Journal of Innovations & Research Analysis (IJIRA) [ Vol. 6 | No. 1(II) | January - March, 2026 ]

Association between Eating Patterns and Body Mass Index among Nursing Students: A Mixed-Method Study

Pramod Kumar Khedia & ⁠Dr. Neeta Bhide

Introduction and Aim: The nutrition situation of nursing students is unique in that on one hand, they learn about their profession's health skills, but on the other hand, their occupation puts them in a position where they cannot engage in healthy nutritional practices themselves. There is extensive research linking the type of food consumed by an individual to his/her body mass index (BMI). However, very little research has been conducted that uses mixed methods approaches to study the relationship between the two among nursing students. This research aimed at determining the association between different eating habits and the BMI category of nursing students in four different classes. Methodology: This research utilized a mixed-methods approach concurrently by using cross-sectional surveys conducted on 1,124 undergraduate nursing students at six different institutions in three countries (India, Philippines, and Jordan), along with the use of validated dietary intake measurement tools, anthropometry, and qualitative semi-structured interviews with 36 purposively selected nursing students based on their BMI and level of study. The dependent variables that measured the eating patterns included the frequency of breakfast skipping, fast food eating, adequacy of fruit and vegetables, frequency of meals, night-time snacking, consumption of sugary beverages, and self-perceived emotional eating. Body Mass Index was calculated using the formulae with height and weight using WHO classification of BMI categories. Results: Prevalence of overweight and obesity was observed to increase progressively with respect to the years of study, ranging from 39.4 percent among first-year nursing students to 49.9 percent among fourth-year nursing students. Factors significantly associated with BMI categories of overweight or obesity, after controlling for potential confounding covariates, included breakfast skipping (OR=2.48, p<.001), eating fast foods at least three days per week (OR=3.17, p<.001), and nighttime snack eating (OR=2.61, p<.001). Eating enough fruits and vegetables was strongly protective (OR=0.41, p<.001). Academic stress and fatigue were cited as barriers to healthy nutrition practices by 88 percent of respondents.

Khedia, P. & Bhide, N. (2026). Association between Eating Patterns and Body Mass Index among Nursing Students: A Mixed-Method Study. International Journal of Innovations & Research Analysis, 06(01(II)), 200–208. https://doi.org/10.62823/IJIRA/06.1(II).8997
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DOI:

Article DOI: 10.62823/IJIRA/06.1(II).8997

DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.62823/IJIRA/06.1(II).8997

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