Table 1 Socio-demographic characteristics, daily energy and nutrient intakes of the participants
|  | Males (n = 183) | Females (n = 311) |
|---|---|---|
Age (years), mean (SD) | 31.9 ± 11.7 | 33.5 ± 10.2 |
t = −1.540; p = 0.124 | ||
BMI (kg/m2), mean (SD) | 24.9 ± 4.0 | 25.1 ± 5.2 |
t = −0.553; p = 0.580 | ||
Educational status, n (%) | Males | Females |
 Illiterate | - | 13 (4.2) |
 No schooling, literate | 5 (2.7) | 4 (1.3) |
 Basic/primary school | 22 (12.0) | 105 (33.8) |
 Secondary school | 24 (13.1) | 29 (9.3) |
 High school | 88 (48.1) | 107 (34.4) |
 University | 44 (24.0) | 53 (17.0) |
|  | χ 2  = 40.035; p = 0.000 | |
Energy and Nutrients**, mean (SD) | Males | Females |
 Energy (kcal) | 1906.5 (785.2) | 1571.4 (696.2)* |
 Total protein (g) | 69.1 (33.2) | 52.3 (22.8)* |
 Protein (% energy) | 14.8 (4.7) | 13.6 (3.8)* |
 Total fat (g) | 65.4 (31.0) | 57.9 (29.1)* |
 Fat (% energy) | 31.0 (8.3) | 33.4 (9.9)* |
 SFA (g) | 23.4 (13.8) | 19.5 (11.1)* |
 MUFA (g) | 23.0 (10.8) | 20.1 (10.3)* |
 PUFA (g) | 14.8 (10.7) | 15.02 (11.2) |
 Dietary cholesterol (mg) | 214.4 (147.7) | 167.9 (135.0)* |
 Carbohydrate (g) | 252.3 (116.9) | 201.0 (97.9) |
 Carbohydrate (% energy) | 52.7 (9.1) | 51.3 (9.8) |
 Fibre (g) | 20.3 (10.3) | 18.4 (8.9)* |
 Vitamin A (μg) | 890.3 (637.9) | 869.2 (857.6) |
 Vitamin E (mg) | 14.8 (13.2) | 15.4 (11.9) |
 Tiamin (mg) | 0.97 (0.8) | 0.78 (0.4)* |
 Riboflavin (mg) | 1.43 (1.5) | 1.07 (0.4)* |
 Niasin (mg) | 12.2 (8.1) | 9.4 (5.9)* |
 Vitamin B6 (mg) | 1.3 (0.6) | 1.2 (0.5)* |
 Folate (μg) | 321.0 (142.1) | 281.9 (127.9)* |
 Vitamin B12 (μg) | 3.5 (3.4) | 2.4 (1.9)* |
 Vitamin C (mg) | 99.7 (89.6) | 105.9 (84.1) |
 Calcium (mg) | 603.6 (341.5) | 521.3 (268.2)* |
 Iron (mg) | 11.3 (7.6) | 9.6 (4.9)* |
 Zinc (mg) | 9.5 (5.5) | 7.5 (3.4)* |