A Comparative Study Between the Cultural Level of Dietary Patterns on the Immune System Among Girls of PAAET at the College of Basic Education in Kuwait and the Faculty of Specific Education, Mansoura University, Egypt

Authors

  • Ali Monahi Nazal Al Shammari Faculty of Home Economics, the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, Kuwait
  • Hanaa F. El-Mehiry Department of Home Economics, Faculty of Specific Education, Mansoura University, Egypt

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14738/aivp.1304.19281

Abstract

Supporting immune function requires a healthy lifestyle, adequate water intake, and essential minerals like magnesium and zinc, as well as vitamin C, D, and E. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of dietary patterns on the immune system by assessing whether undergraduate students met the recommended dietary intake. The research focused on students from the College of Basic Education in Kuwait andthe Faculty of Specific Education at Mansoura University, Egypt, during the academic year 2024–2025. This cross-sectional study involved 150 undergraduate students from the two universities mentioned above. Students completed a 72-hour dietary recall and a questionnaire at (0, 6, and 12 week). A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data, which included questions on anthropometric measures and eating habits. Results indicated in students' subjects at (0, 6,and 12 weeks) and demonstrated that the mean intakes of water, total fiber, magnesium, calcium, vitamins (B6, E, D)folate, and all essential amino acids were lower than dietary reference intake. Moreover, the university population consumed a diet with too many calories, carbohydrates,proteins and fats as compared to dietary reference intake at (0, 6, and 12 weeks). Moreover, the results show that overweight and obesity were common among students, with more than 20% classified as overweight or obese, and the majority having unhealthy eating habits. These results increased the probability of developing dysfunction in the immune system and noncommunicable diseases. Thus, it is necessary to introduce an organized nutrition education program aimed at new students.

References

Marshall JS, Warrington R, Watson W, Kim HL. An introduction to immunology and immunopathology. Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol. 2018;14(Suppl 2):49. doi:10.1186/s13223-018-0278-1

Milte CM, Thorpe MG, Crawford D, Ball K, McNaughton SA. Associations of diet quality with health-related quality of life in older Australian men and women. Exp Gerontol. 2015;64:8-16. doi:10.1016/j.exger.2015.01.047.

Martinez-Lacoba R, Pardo-Garcia I, Amo-Saus E, Escribano-Sotos F. Mediterranean diet and health outcomes: a systematic meta-review. Eur J Public Health. 2018;28(5):955-961. doi:10.1093/eurpub/cky113.

Popkin BM, Adair LS, Ng SW. Global nutrition transition and the pandemic of obesity in developing countries. Nutr Rev. 2012; 70(1):3-21. doi:10.1111/j.1753-4887.2011.00456.x.

World Health Organization (WHO). Obesity and overweight factsheet from the WHO.2011

El-Mehiry HF, Shelbaya LA. Immunotoxicity effect of lavender (Lavendula Spica) flowers powder and oil on azathioprine induced toxicity in experimental rats. J Specific Edu Stud Res, Zag Univ. 2017; 2(1): 202-221.

Ayling RM. Nutritional disorders and their management. In: Marshall WJ, Lapsley M, Day A, et al., editors. Clinical Biochemistry Metabolic and Clinical Aspects. Edinburgh: Elsevier; 2014. 200-213.

Al Sabbah H. Prevalence of overweight/obesity, anaemia and their associations among female university students in Dubai, United Arab Emirates: a cross-sectional study. J Nutr Sci. 2020;9:e26. doi:10.1017/jns.2020.23.

Musaiger AO. Overweight and Obesity in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: Can we control it? East Mediterr Health J. 2004; 10:789-793.

Musaiger AO, Al-Hazzaa HM. Prevalence and risk factors associated with nutrition-related noncommunicable diseases in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Int J Gen Med. 2012;5:199-217. doi:10.2147/IJGM.S29663.

Amuna P, Zotor FB. Epidemiological and nutrition transition in developing countries: impact on human health and development. Proc Nutr Soc. 2008; 67(1):82-90. doi:10.1017/S0029665108006058

Kahn SE, Hull RL, Utzschneider KM. Mechanisms linking obesity to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Nature. 2006; 444(7121):840-846. doi:10.1038/nature05482

Gross LS, Li L, Ford ES, Liu S. Increased consumption of refined carbohydrates and the epidemic of type 2 diabetes in the United States: an ecologic assessment. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;79(5):774-779. doi:10.1093/ajcn/79.5.774

Hu FB, Malik VS. Sugar-sweetened beverages and risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes: epidemiologic evidence. Physiol Behav. 2010;100(1):47-54. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.01.036

Mendoza JA, Drewnowski A, Christakis DA. Dietary energy density is associated with obesity and the metabolic syndrome in U.S. adults. Diabetes Care. 2007; 30(4):974-979. doi:10.2337/dc06-2188

Roberts K, Cavill N, Hancock C, Harry, R. Social and economic inequalities in diet and physical activity. Oxford: Public Health England Obesity Knowledge and Intelligence. 2013: 55-71

Committee DGA. Scientific Report of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee: Advisory Report to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service; 2020.

Gwamaka M, Kurtis JD, Sorensen BE, et al. Iron deficiency protects against severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria and death in young children. Clin Infect Dis. 2012;54(8):1137-1144. doi:10.1093/cid/cis010

27 Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes: A Risk Assessment Model for Establishing Upper Intake Levels for Nutrients. 1998, Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/6432.

Nuttall FQ. Body Mass Index: Obesity, BMI, and Health: A Critical Review. Nutr Today. 2015;50(3):117-128. doi:10.1097/NT.0000000000000092

29 SPSS Inc. Released 2008. SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 17.0. Chicago: SPSS Inc.

Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids (Macronutrients). 2005. National Academic Press.DOI:10.17226/10490

Institute of Medicine, Dietary Reference Intakes for Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate. 2005. National Academic Press. DOI: 10.17226/10925

Ross AC, Manson JE, Abrams SA, et al. The 2011 report on dietary reference intakes for calcium and vitamin D from the Institute of Medicine: what clinicians need to know. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011; 96(1):53-58. doi:10.1210/jc.2010-2704.

Ross AC, Manson JE, Abrams SA, et al. The 2011 report on dietary reference intakes for calcium and vitamin D from the Institute of Medicine: what clinicians need to know. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011;96(1):53-58. doi:10.1210/jc.2010-2704

Schuetz P, Fehr R, Baechli V, et al. Individualised nutritional support in medical inpatients at nutritional risk: a randomised clinical trial. Lancet. 2019;393(10188):2312-2321. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32776-4

Mishra S, Patel M. Role of nutrition on immune system during Covid-19 pandemic. J Food Nutr Health. 2020;3(2):1–6

Rinninella E, Cintoni M, Raoul P, et al. Food components and dietary habits: Keys for a healthy gut microbiota composition. Nutrients. 2019;11(10):2393. doi:10.3390/nu11102393

Waheed Janabi AH, Kamboh AA, Saeed M, et al. Flavonoid-rich foods (FRF): A promising nutraceutical approach against lifespan-shortening diseases. Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2020;23(2):140-153. doi:10.22038/IJBMS.2019.35125.8353

Grant WB, Lahore H, McDonnell SL, et al. Evidence that Vitamin D Supplementation Could Reduce Risk of Influenza and COVID-19 Infections and Deaths. Nutrients. 2020;12(4):988. doi:10.3390/nu12040988

Michels KB, Schulze MB. Can dietary patterns help us detect diet-disease associations?. Nutr Res Rev. 2005;18(2):241-248. doi:10.1079/NRR2005107

Gholizadeh F, Moludi J, Lotfi Yagin N, et al. The relation of Dietary diversity score and food insecurity to metabolic syndrome features and glucose level among pre-diabetes subjects. Prim Care Diabetes. 2018;12(4):338-344. doi:10.1016/j.pcd.2018.03.003

Sun J, Buys NJ, Hills AP. Dietary pattern and its association with the prevalence of obesity, hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors among Chinese older adults. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2014;11(4):3956-3971. doi:10.3390/ijerph110403956

Mahadevan S, Ali I. Is body mass index a good indicator of obesity?. Int J Diabetes Dev Ctries. 2016; 36:140–

Bastien M, Poirier P, Lemieux I, Després JP. Overview of epidemiology and contribution of obesity to cardiovascular disease. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2014;56(4):369-381. doi:10.1016/j.pcad.2013.10.016

Wang Y, Beydoun MA, Min J, Xue H, Kaminsky LA, Cheskin LJ. Has the prevalence of overweight, obesity and central obesity levelled off in the United States? Trends, patterns, disparities, and future projections for the obesity epidemic. Int J Epidemiol. 2020;49(3):810-823. doi:10.1093/ije/dyz273

Gierach M, Gierach J, Junik R. Insulin resistance and thyroid disorders. Endokrynol Pol. 2014;65(1):70-76. doi:10.5603/EP.2014.0010

Yahia N, Achkar A, Abdallah A, Rizk S. Eating habits and obesity among Lebanese university students. Nutr J. 2008; 7:32. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-7-32

Al-Rethaiaa AS, Fahmy AE, Al-Shwaiyat NM. Obesity and eating habits among college students in Saudi Arabia: a cross sectional study. Nutr J. 2010;9:39. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-9-39

Makki K, Deehan EC, Walter J, Bäckhed F. The Impact of dietary fiber on gut microbiota in host health and disease. Cell Host Microbe. 2018;23(6):705-715. doi:10.1016/j.chom.2018.05.012

Downloads

Published

2025-08-26

How to Cite

Al Shammari, A. M. N., & El-Mehiry, H. F. (2025). A Comparative Study Between the Cultural Level of Dietary Patterns on the Immune System Among Girls of PAAET at the College of Basic Education in Kuwait and the Faculty of Specific Education, Mansoura University, Egypt . European Journal of Applied Sciences, 13(04), 317–326. https://doi.org/10.14738/aivp.1304.19281