Introduction
It is important to understand the correlates of different dietary behaviors in a military context in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to guide intervention development to prevent and treat obesity. This study aimed to assess different dietary behaviors and their association with potential correlates including age, marital status, educational level, smoking status, screen time, dietary knowledge, eating self-efficacy, and general self-efficacy (GSE).

Materials and Methods
The study used a cross-sectional design and included 153 (M = 25.9 years, SD = ±3.2) military recruits completing their basic training at a single military camp in the UAE. Dietary behaviors of these recruits were measured using the Arab Teens Lifestyle Study (ATLS). Other potential correlates included dietary knowledge, GSE and eating efficacy.

Results
Daily intake of fruit, vegetables and breakfast was reported by 14.4%, 25.5% and 22.9% of the military recruits respectively. Almost half of the recruits (46.4%) consumed sugar-sweetened drinks more than three times a week, 39.2% consumed fast food more than three times a week, and 37.3% consumed sweets/chocolate more than three times a week. Multiple regressions showed that lower age and lower eating self-efficacy were found to be main predictors for sugar sweetened drinks (adjusted R² = 0.112) and fast-food intake (adjusted R² = 0.084). Also, higher dietary knowledge score was a predictor of vegetables intake (adjusted R² = 0.093), while age and smoking predict energy drinks intake (adjusted R² = 0.225). 

Conclusions
Results show that unhealthy eating patterns are common among new recruits in the UAE military. The study suggests that age, eating self-efficacy and nutrition knowledge are the main correlates for selected dietary behaviors. Interventions are advised to target these correlates to achieve healthier dietary habits inside the military.
Keywords: correlates, dietary behaviors, nutrition, UAE military