RESUMO
To determine the factors that influence the dietary habits, BMIs, and body images of students living in dormitory. The study was performed in the Dormitory of Hacettepe University. Study population was 301 girl students. Data were collected by personal interviews; height and weight measurements were performed. The mean age of 301 students enrolled in the study was 21.2 +/- 1.7 years. About 69.7% of the students were skipping at least one meal in most of the days. Studying and dormitory conditions had a heavier negative influence over medical school students than others [p<0.05]. Approximately four out of every 10 students had gone on a diet sometime while the underlying reason in 78.4% of those was to lose weight. According to the BMI values, 11.6% of them were underweight, 80.8% were normal, and 7.6% were overweight. 57.5%, 89.6%, and 12.8% of the students who described themselves as underweight, normal, and overweight, respectively, were found to define their actual condition. A dietary and nutritional counseling office within the framework of the Student Health Center, educating students on nutritional issues, and providing a dining hall service particularly for dinners, should help overcome dietary problems