Factors Related to Diet Quality: A Cross-Sectional Study of 1055 University Students

Given that there is only a limited body of evidence available concerning the dietary habits of Spanish university students, the present study assesses the quality of this group’s diet, their adherence to the National Food-Based Dietary Guidelines, and the predictive factors of their diet quality. To do so, a cross-sectional study was performed on a sample of 1055 students. The quality of the participants’ diets was then analysed by using the Spanish Healthy Eating Index, and then their level of compliance was assessed in light of the dietary recommendations put forth by the Spanish Society for Community Nutrition. According to these standards, only 17.4% of the participants had a healthy diet. The level of compliance with the recommendations was poor, highlighting especially the low levels of “fruit” and “vegetables” that they consumed as well as high levels of “cold meats and cuts” and “sweets.” The factors that predicted a worse diet are being male, living alone, low levels of physical activity, smoking, high alcohol intake, leading a sedentary lifestyle, psychological distress, and insomnia (p < 0.005). Furthermore, participants with low or high body weights showed signs of a higher quality diet (p < 0.001). The present findings suggest that a significant proportion of university students ought to change their dietary habits; these also attest to the importance of developing strategies that are directly targeted at university students in order to promote a healthy diet.

Download Full-text

Faculty Opinions recommendation of Quality of life and associated factors among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.740954148.793590592 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Santosh Kumar

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

University Students ◽

Associated Factors ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional

Download Full-text

Healthy Eating Index: Assessment of the Diet Quality of a Brazilian Elderly Population

Nutrition and Metabolic Insights ◽

10.1177/1178638818818845 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

pp. 117863881881884

Author(s):

Dalila Pinto de Souza Fernandes ◽

Maria Sônia Lopes Duarte ◽

Milene Cristine Pessoa ◽

Sylvia do Carmo Castro Franceschini ◽

Andréia Queiroz Ribeiro

Keyword(s):

Healthy Eating ◽

Diet Quality ◽

Saturated Fat ◽

Population Based ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Whole Grains ◽

Healthy Eating Index ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Global Quality

Background: The food consumption assessment is necessary to monitor elderly’s nutritional status because it allows detecting nutrition deficits and guiding the elaboration of effective conducts. Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the global quality of the elderly’s diet in Viçosa—MG, Brazil. Methods: This is a population-based cross-sectional study, involving noninstitutionalized elderly. Diet quality was assessed through the Brazilian Healthy Eating Index-Revised (BHEI-R) validated to the Brazilian population. Results: The study comprised 620 elderly individuals. The mean total BHEI-R score was 64.28. The worse consumption scores concerned the components Whole grains, Milk and derivatives, Sodium, Total fruit, and Whole fruit. Approximately 82% scored zero (0%) for Whole grains and 67% for Sodium. Men presented significantly lower scores than women, who have presented maximal score in the same items. Women’s scores were not only significantly higher for Total fruit, Whole fruit, Milk and derivatives, but also significantly lower for Saturated fat. Discussion: Most elderly need to improve their diet quality. Strategies heading toward the improvement of diet quality must be priority in policies to health promotion toward the healthy and active aging.

Download Full-text

Diet quality, assessed by the Healthy Eating Index-2010, and exercise associated factors of obesity: a cross-sectional study

Revista Española de Nutrición Humana y Dietética ◽

10.14306/renhyd.25.2.1109 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 189-198

Author(s):

Ismael San Mauro Martin ◽

Elena Garicano Vilar ◽

Paula Mendive Dubourdieu ◽

Victor Paredes Barato ◽

Cristina Garagarza ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diet Quality ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Healthy Eating Index ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Quality Data ◽

Dietary Intakes ◽

Anthropometric Measures ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Mean

Introduction: Certain weight management methods may be associated with unhealthy dietary intakes, skewing toward certain dietary components and lacking others. Management of weight should not ignore the quality of the diet, as both obesity and poor diet are associated with higher risk of chronic disease. Objective: To conduct a diet quality and exercise scan and observe their repercussion on BMI, in adults from Spain, Portugal, Uruguay and Mexico. Material and methods:An observational retrospective cohort study was designed, with 1181 adults aged 18-65 years. HEI-2010 score was used to assess diet quality. Data on type, days a week and hours/day of exercise, and participant’s anthropometric measures were collected.Results: The mean HEI-2010 score was 65.21. There were no statistically significant differences between HEI-2010 score and BMI [p=0.706], BMI and days of exercise per week [p=0.151], BMI and hours/day of exercise [p=0.590] and BMI and being active [>3 days/week] [p=0.106]. On the contrary, overall exercise influenced BMI significantly [p<0.001]. Conclusions: Dietary patterns may help to prevent weight gain and fight overweight and obesity. This study, however, did not observe associations between the quality of the diet nor specifics of exercise with lower BMIs. The quality of the diet of adults in Spain, Portugal, Uruguay and Mexico fell short of recommendations.

Download Full-text

Factors associated with diet quality of older adults

Revista de Nutrição ◽

10.1590/1678-98652017000300003 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

pp. 297-306 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Tatiana Império de FREITAS ◽

Ágatha Nogueira PREVIDELLI ◽

Marcela Previato do Nascimento FERREIRA ◽

Karina Maffei MARQUES ◽

Rita Maria Monteiro GOULART ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Older Adults ◽

Diet Quality ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Healthy Eating Index ◽

Education Level ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Factors Associated ◽

The City

ABSTRACT Objective Evaluate the factors associated with diet quality of older adults from the city of São Caetano do Sul, São Paulo, Brazil. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out on a sample of 295 older adults receiving care in health care units in São Caetano do Sul. Diet quality was assessed using the Brazilian Healthy Eating Index. The associations between the diet quality mean score and the socio-demographic, economic, and anthropometric characteristics and lifestyle and health conditions were verified using multiple linear regression. Results Lower diet quality mean score were associated with the variables: marital status (widowed or separated) (β=-2.02; p=0.047), retired (β=-4.24; p=0.034), and smoking (β=-8.06; p=0.001); whereas higher diet quality mean score were associated with higher education level (9 years or more) (β=3.49; p=0.013). Conclusion Individuals with higher education level had better diet quality, and those who were widowed or separated, retired, and smokers had worse diet quality indicating that socio-demographic, economic, and lifestyle are factors that can influence food choice of older adults.

Download Full-text

Association of Healthy Diet with Recovery Time from COVID-19: Results from a Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18168248 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (16) ◽

pp. 8248

Author(s):

Faisal F. Alamri ◽

Aslam Khan ◽

Abdulaziz O. Alshehri ◽

Ahmed Assiri ◽

Shahd I. Khan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Recovery Time ◽

Dietary Habits ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Dietary Guidelines ◽

Healthy Diet ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Males And Females ◽

The Relationship

The world is still in need of an effective therapy to treat coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). This cross-sectional study was conducted on COVID-19 survivors in Saudi Arabia to investigate the influence of a healthy diet on the recovery time from COVID-19. A questionnaire was developed to assess participants’ dietary habits, based on the 2015 Dutch food-based dietary guidelines. A total of 738 COVID-19 survivors participated in the study, of whom 237 (32.1%) were hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment while 501 (76.9%) were not hospitalized, and 320 (43.4%) were females and 418 (56.6%) were males. Overall, no significant difference was noted in healthy diet score between males and females; however, this score was significantly lower for Saudis compared to non-Saudis. Among the non-hospitalized patients, eating a more healthy diet was associated with a shorter duration of recovery (p < 0.05) and was significantly affected by gender (15.8 ± 9.3 male vs. 12.1 ± 8.9 female; p < 0.001) and marital status (12.1 ± 8.4 singles vs. 13.7 ± 9.3 married vs. 16.1 ± 11.8 divorced; p < 0.05). In contrast, no significant correlation was found with age or BMI. In this study, a more healthy diet was associated with a shorter duration of recovery from COVID-19. However, further studies are needed to thoroughly investigate the relationship between diet and recovery time from COVID-19.

Download Full-text

Food Insecurity Is Associated with the Quality of Diet of Non-Institutionalized Older Adults from a Southern Chilean Commune: A Cross-Sectional Study

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu14010036 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 36

Author(s):

Orietta Segura-Badilla ◽

Ashuin Kammar-García ◽

Addí Rhode Navarro-Cruz ◽

Jacqueline Araneda-Flores ◽

Javier Mancilla-Galindo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Poisson Regression ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Healthy Eating Index ◽

Small Sample ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Modifiable Factors

As the population ages, greater attention to age-related health problems related to diet and lifestyles is needed. Here, we sought to evaluate the associations between demographic and clinical characteristics and food insecurity with the quality of diet of non-institutionalized elderly from a southern Chilean commune. We performed an analytical cross-sectional study in a sample of 376 older adults. Nutritional status was evaluated through anthropometric measurements. Quality of diet was determined by the healthy eating index (HEI), obtained through the frequency of consumption questionnaire. Socioeconomic, demographic, and lifestyle variables were also collected. Ordinal logistic and Poisson regression models were applied to study associations with quality of diet. The sample consisted of more women (81.6%) than men (18.4%). Most older adults were found to live in a situation of vulnerability or poverty (82.4%), with most having food security (65.7%). According to the HEI, only 14.1% had a good quality of diet, 83.8% had diet in need of improvement, and 2.1% had an unhealthy diet. There was an association of food insecurity and cardiovascular risk (according to waist circumference) with lower quality of diet categories. However, an association with the unhealthy quality of diet category was not confirmed with Poisson regression analysis, which was possibly due to the low number of subjects in that category (n = 8, 2.1%). Other modifiable factors like physical activity, hours of sleep, and polypharmacy were not associated with lower quality of diet categories. Socioeconomic status, which is a structural health determinant, was not associated with decreased quality of diet. Since this was a cross-sectional study performed on a small sample from a Chilean commune, directionality of associations cannot be discerned, and future longitudinal studies could aim to better characterize these associations in larger samples of elderly patients.

Download Full-text

Does depressive and anxiety symptoms associate with the diet quality of university students? An exploratory study during the COVID-19 pandemic in India

10.31234/osf.io/fwgx2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Satyajit Kundu ◽

Najneen Rejwana ◽

Joseph Kawuki ◽

Susmita Ghosh ◽

Najim Z. Alshahrani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

University Students ◽

Diet Quality ◽

Dietary Assessment ◽

Well Being ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Assessment Index ◽

Mediation Analyses

Background: This study examines the association of depressive and anxiety symptoms on diet quality while controlling for different demographic and other health and lifestyle factors.Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out between April 2021 to June 2021 among a total of 440 (unweighted) university students. Diet quality was assessed using a 10-item mini-dietary assessment index tool. Depressive and anxiety symptoms of participants were measured using the validated Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-7) scale, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression and mediation analyses were performed.Results: In this study, 61.1% (95% CI: 56.6% to 65.7%) of university students’ diet quality was good during the COVID-19 pandemic. Being a post-graduate student, an urban resident, having no depressive (AOR = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.20 to 3.84) and anxiety symptoms (AOR = 1.96, 95% CI: 1.07 to 3.59), no changes or better appetite, and no changes in sleep duration were significantly associated with good diet quality among our study participants. Both depressive and anxiety symptoms had a direct and indirect effect on diet quality while mediated each other.Limitations: The causal conclusion cannot be drawn due to the cross-sectional design of this study. All data were self-reported that may cause social desirability and recall bias.Conclusions: Depressive and anxiety symptoms during COVID-19 had a significant effect on diet quality of university students. Future public health policies need to be focused on improving the mental health and well-being of students particularly during pandemic situations to enhance their diet quality.

Download Full-text

Quality of life and associated factors among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-048446 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

pp. e048446

Author(s):

Mohammad Farris Iman Leong Bin Abdullah ◽

Nor Shuhada Mansor ◽

Mohd Afifuddin Mohamad ◽

Soo Huat Teoh

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Social Support ◽

University Students ◽

Illicit Drugs ◽

Psychotic Disorders ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Peninsular Malaysia ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional

ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the quality of life (QoL) and determine its association with various factors and social support among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic after the end of movement lockdown.Design, setting and participantsThis online cross-sectional study recruited 316 participants. The inclusion criteria were students 18 years and above who were registered with the faculties of medicine at Malaysian public universities located in Klang Valley and in the states of Penang and Kelantan in Peninsular Malaysia. The exclusion criteria were those who presented with psychotic disorders, bipolar mood disorder or a history of illicit drugs.Outcome measuresParticipants were administered a self-reported questionnaire to gather data on demographic, personal, clinical and psychological characteristics. The questionnaire comprised of the 21-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the WHO Quality of Life- Brief Version (WHOQoL-BREF).ResultsThe psychological and social QoL scores were lower than the non-pandemic norms of the general population, while the physical health and environmental QoL scores were comparable. After adjusting for relevant demographic, personal and clinical variables, religious coping, greater number of hours of online classes attended, and greater social support from family, friends and significant others were significantly associated with higher QoL among the participants. Frustration due to study disruption, living in areas with a high prevalence of COVID-19 cases, and a higher severity of depressive and stress symptoms were significantly associated with lower QoL.ConclusionCOVID-19 impaired the QoL of university students even after the movement lockdown was lifted.

Download Full-text