Abstract

Aim/Background:
Numerous studies have investigated the relationship between dietary habits and academic performance among university students; however, findings remain inconsistent across different populations and contexts. This study aimed to assess the impact of dietary habits on the academic performance of undergraduate students at Jouf University, Saudi Arabia.

Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2023 and March 2024. A convenience sample of 339 undergraduate students from Jouf University participated by completing a validated structured questionnaire that collected demographic data, dietary habits, and self-reported cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25, applying descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and Pearson correlation analysis.

Results:
The study included 112 male students (33.0%) and 227 female students (66.9%), with most participants aged between 20 and 22 years. Poor dietary habits were prevalent among both males (57.14%) and females (56.38%), with a statistically significant difference by gender (p = 0.017). Health science students reported poor eating habits (62.31%) at a rate comparable to non-health science students (52.73%), with no statistically significant difference (p = 0.80). No significant correlation was found between overall dietary habit scores and academic performance as measured by GPA (R = −0.0042, p > 0.05).

Conclusion:
Unhealthy dietary habits were common among Jouf University students, regardless of academic discipline. No significant association was identified between dietary habits and academic performance. These findings suggest a gap between nutritional knowledge and actual dietary practices, highlighting the need for targeted campus-based health promotion interventions.

Key words: Dietary habits, health professional student, Academic performance, Jouf University.