FACTORS INFLUENCING DIETARY CHOICES AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN UZBEKISTAN

Abstract

Students' eating habits are one of the main concerns on university campuses. A range of research (Basil & Basil, 2009; Yun et al., 2018; Lupi et al., 2015) has been done to investigate the reasons behind neglecting healthy eating and the consequences of a detrimental diet. However, there is limited research on the awareness of the importance of a healthy diet among students in Uzbekistan. This study aims to determine the awareness of healthy eating among Uzbek students at Kimyo International University (KIUT). The results of the study are presented using a quantitative research method. Responses were collected through a survey of 20 students, ranging from first-year to fourth-year students, during the academic year 2024-2025. The participants were asked 12 multiple-choice and checkbox questions. The results show that 80 percent of students are aware of the significance of a healthy diet and are open to learning more about eating healthy. Further research should be done on a wider scale to understand the trend among the larger student population, and strategies to propagate healthy eating should be developed.