A UBC Okanagan researcher warns that bad eating habits developed during post-secondary study might lead to future health problems including obesity, respiratory ailments, and depression.

Joan Bottorff, a professor with UBCO's School of Nursing, is one of several international researchers who published a multi-site study looking at the eating habits of university students.

Almost 12,000 medical students from 31 universities in China participated in the study that aimed to determine the association between eating behaviours, obesity and various diseases. The point, says Bottorff, is that many poor eating habits begin at university and can continue for decades.

"We know many students consume high-calorie meals along with sugary foods and drinks and there is lots of evidence to show those kinds of eating behaviours can lead to obesity," says Bottorff. "These are not the only habits that lead to obesity, but they are important and can't be ruled out."

The study, published recently in Preventive Medicine Reports, was led by Shihui Peng with the School of Medicine at China's Jinan University.

While there is well-established research that links unhealthy diets to many chronic diseases, this study aimed to show a relationship between poor eating habits and infectious diseases including colds and diarrhea.