The Analysis of Gastrointestinal Tract Responses to Nutritional Environments among Students in Campus and Home Settings

Authors

  • Excel Uche Rhema University, Nigeria

Keywords:

(Source: MeSH-NLM)., Cross-sectional, GIT, Nutritional, Analysis.

Abstract

Background

The transition between home-cooked meals and institutional campus meals represents a significant but understudied nutritional sector in the lives of university students in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite growing interest in student health, comparative evidence on the gastrointestinal (GIT) consequences of this dietary transition remains scarce in Nigerian literature. This study analyzed dietary patterns, nutritional quality perceptions, and compared self-reported digestive health outcomes of undergraduate students at Rhema University, Aba, Nigeria, under two nutritional environments: campus-provided meals and home-cooked meals, and identified associated patterns of physiological GIT adaptations.

Methods

A descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among 312 undergraduate students using electronic self-designed structured questionnaires. Qualified participants were undergraduates with at least one full semester on campus, consumed school meals at least once daily, and had no pre-existing diagnosed gastrointestinal disorder. Data were collected on dietary patterns, meal quality perception, self-reported GIT symptoms, bowel habit changes, appetite regulation, and adaptive responses across both nutritional environments.

Results

Among 312 participants (predominantly aged 16–20 years), 56.2% were MBBS students, 38.4% Nursing, 5.4% Medical Laboratory Science, and 0.6% Health Sciences students. Carbohydrates were identified as the predominant meal class consumed on campus by 99.0% of respondents. Feeding frequency on campus showed that 32.8% ate once daily, 56.0% ate twice daily, while only 6.7% reported eating three times daily. Additionally, 70.4% reported rarely or never consuming balanced meals on campus, with snacks serving as a major dietary supplement.

Perceived meal quality was generally poor, with 74.9% rating campus meal nutritional quality between 1 and 2 on a 5-point scale. Nearly all respondents (96.5%) perceived a marked difference between home-cooked and campus meals, while 74.0% described the transition to campus feeding as nutritionally worse.

Gastrointestinal disturbances associated with campus feeding were common. Using the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS), 54.5% of respondents reported increased digestive symptoms while on campus, whereas 74.3% reported noticeable gastrointestinal changes following resumption to campus meals. Appetite decline was reported by 62.4% of students, while 81.7% experienced alterations in bowel habits, including constipation, diarrhea, reduced stool volume, bloating, abdominal discomfort, and, in some cases, ulcer-like symptoms.

Upon returning home, 72.3% of respondents reported symptomatic improvement, including increased appetite and reduced incidence of heartburn and bowel discomfort. Some respondents also described an initial increase in stool volume and passage of poorly digested food particles after returning home. These observations may reflect gastrointestinal adjustment following prolonged exposure to nutritionally limited campus diets and subsequent dietary improvement in home meals.

Overall, 50.2% of students perceived clear differences in gastrointestinal health between home and campus environments, with the adaptive gastrointestinal responses summarized in Table 1.

References

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2.Papadaki A, Hondros G Scott JA et al.(2007) Eating habits of university students living at , or away from home in Greece.

3.Noha M. Almoraie, Noor M. Alothmani, Wajd D. Alomari and Amal H. Al-amoudi (2025) Addressing nutritional issues and eating behaviours among university students.

4.Story M, Kaphingst KM, Robinson-O'Brien R Glanz K. Creating healthy food and eating environents:Policy and environmental approaches. Annu Rev Public health.

5.Institute of Medicine. Nutrition Standards for foods in Schools:Learning the way towards healthier youth. Washinton, DC: National Academies Press;2007.

6.Melby CL., Femea PL., Sciacca JP. Reported dietary exercise behaviours ,beliefs and knowledge among university undergraduates . Nutr Res 1986;6:799-808

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Published

2026-08-18

How to Cite

Uche, E. (2026). The Analysis of Gastrointestinal Tract Responses to Nutritional Environments among Students in Campus and Home Settings. International Journal of Medical Students. Retrieved from https://ijms.pitt.edu/IJMS/article/view/4802

Issue

Forthcoming

Section

Abstracts of the WCMSR

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Copyright (c) 2026 Excel Uche

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