The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity and examine eating habits in a sample of Lebanese University students. Body mass index was used to assess weight status. Based on BMI classification of weight status, findings of this study indicate that the majority of students were of normal weight. Normal weight was more prevalent among females (76.8%) as compared to males (49%), whereas, overweight and obesity were more common among male than female students. Students in the normal weight category had at the same time normal values of percentage body fat. Prevalence of overweight was 37.5% in males as compared to 13.6% in females. Obesity was more common among male students than females in the studied population. A total of 12.5% of the males were obese compared to 3.2% of the females. Moreover, obese students had at the same time higher values of percentage body fat. The lower rate of obesity among female students is expected since females are more cautious about their weight status than males, due to society perceptions which encourage females to be slender. This assumption was supported by the fact that only 1% of males were underweight as compared to 6.4% of females in this studied sample. Obviously, pictures of movie stars and models in fashion magazines and mass media have a strong impact on girls' body shape and image perception [
4]. University girls see the shape and weight of fashion models as the ideal body shape and figure to attain. Girls with such strong body weight perception can be at risk of developing eating disorders [
5]. Similar findings of prevalence of obesity among male university students were reported in recent studies [
6,
7]. In a study conducted among 749 students (68% females and 32% males) recruited from the State University of the Basque Country, prevalence rate of overweight and obesity was 25% in males compared to 13.9% in females [
6]. Another study conducted among 989 medical students (527 men, 462 women) from the University of Crete reported that approximately 40% male students and 23% female students had BMI > 25 kg/m
2 [
7]. High prevalence rate of overweight and obesity was also reported in a study conducted in Kuwait University among 842 students [
8], at 32% and 8.9%, respectively. In the United Arab Emirates, a cross-sectional survey conducted among 300 male students reported that the prevalence rate of obesity was 35.7% in males and this figure was higher than the rate in females [
9]. In terms of eating habits, university students usually do not follow healthy eating habits. The typical university student diet is high in fat and low in fruits and vegetables [
10]. Students often select fast food due to its palatability, availability and convenience. A previous survey by the American Dietetic Association indicated that obesity, or being severely overweight, is a fast-food related issue [
11]. The Healthy people 2010 objectives include a focus on nutrition and obesity prevention [
12]. In this study, data analyses of students' eating habits revealed that the majority of students eat meals regularly and eat breakfast daily or three to four times per week. 52.7% of the students eat meals two times per day. However, there was a significant gender difference in the frequency of meal intake in the studied sample (
P = 0.001). As expected, intake of colored vegetables and fruits was also common among students. Alcohol intake and smoking were not common among students. The majority of students believe that eating meat, vegetables and other foods will provide them with a balanced diet. 77% male students and 73% female students in this study agreed that it is important to eat a variety of foods to have a balanced and nutritious diet. A study conducted at Midwestern University among 105 male and 181 female students, reported that 94.4% of the students agreed that it is important to eat a variety of foods for good health [
13]. In another study, healthful diet was classified as a diet that included more fruits and vegetables, and less fat [
14]. Daily intake of snacks was reported by the majority of students. The unhealthy eating habit of students was noticed in the intake of fried food (majority reported eating fried food three or four times per week). Frequent snacking and eating fried food can adversely affect students' health status, given the abundance of energy dense and high fat ingredients they contain. Improving students' knowledge about nutrition and healthy eating habits may promote healthy body weight management among students and reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity. A recent study conducted among college students reported that increased knowledge of dietary guidance,
Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, appeared to be positively related to more healthy eating patterns thus the better eaters had a higher level of knowledge about nutrition[
15]. Therefore, developing nutrition education programs that promote healthy eating habits for university students should be encouraged. Alcohol intake and smoking were not common in our sample of students. National data on alcohol intake and the prevalence of smoking among university students in Lebanon are limited. A previous study conducted among 1850 Lebanese university students reported that the prevalence of drinking alcohol was found to have increased through the 1990s. However, the author stated that protective factors, such as belief in God (irrespective of the students' religion), practice of faith, and family or peer negative attitudes towards excessive drinking, were associated with less frequent experimentation with alcohol [
16]. A previous study conducted among 2443 students from 13 public and private schools in Greater Beirut reported that the prevalence rate of cigarette smoking was 2.5% [
17]. In a recent study, namely the Lebanon Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS), conducted among 5035 students aged 13–15 years from 50 schools reported that the prevalence rate of students who were current cigarette smokers was 8.6% and 33.9% were current water-pipe smokers. The GYTS indicated that half of students who were current smokers expressed their desire to stop smoking [
18].