Adherence to Mediterranean Diet, Alcohol Consumption and Emotional Eating in Spanish University Students

Abstract

(1) Introduction: The university period may increase the risk of different unhealthy habits, such as low adherence to the Mediterranean diet, high alcohol consumption and eating in response to specific emotions. The aim of this study was to detect early-risk alcohol consumption and alcohol dependence (ADS), the degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet and emotional eating in university students of the Madrid community. (2) Methods: For each individual, anthropometric parameters, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), AUDIT-Consumption (AUDIT-C), the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) and the Emotional Eater Questionnaire (EEQ) were assessed. (3) Results: A total of 584 university students aged 20.5 (sex ratio = 0.39) were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. In total, 63.6% of students showed low adherence to the Mediterranean diet, with no differences by sex (64.3% female versus 61.5% male, p = 0.19). According to the AUDIT questionnaire, 26.2% of participants were categorized as high-risk drinkers and 7.7% as ADS. About 38.6% of the students were categorized as eating very emotionally or eating emotionally, and 37.2% were categorized as low emotional eaters. A weak positive correlation was observed between the EEQ and BMI in female students (rho= 0.15, p = 0.03). (4) Conclusions: University students in our sample showed a low adherence to the Mediterranean diet, an important high-risk alcohol consumption and low emotional eating.

Risky Behaviours of Spanish University Students: Association with Mediterranean Diet, Sexual Attitude and Chronotype

“…In Spain, the majority of people follow a Mediterranean diet, which is a healthy diet [7]. Previous research has revealed that the low adherence of Spanish university students to a Mediterranean diet is related to high alcohol consumption [5,8], smoking, low levels of physical activity (PA), living alone, and leading a sedentary lifestyle [5], and good adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with an improved quality of life related to perceived health [9] and low body weight [5].…”

Alcohol Consumption by Italian and Spanish University Students in Relation to Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and to the Food Neophobia: A Pilot Study

“…However, 15.5% of Italians and 30.7% of Spaniards showed hazardous alcohol use. A recent study conducted in Spain reported that 26.2% of participants were categorized as high-risk drinkers, according to the AUDIT questionnaire [ 15 ]. Carlos et al [ 14 ] found that 17.6% of the recruited Spanish university students may be considered at risk of developing alcohol dependency, and 2.4% can be considered as having alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS).…”

“…Carlos et al [ 14 ] found that 17.6% of the recruited Spanish university students may be considered at risk of developing alcohol dependency, and 2.4% can be considered as having alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS). López-Moreno et al [ 15 ], according to the AUDIT score, categorized 26.2% of Spanish university students as high-risk drinkers, and 7.7% as suffering from ADS [ 15 ]. In our study, the safe consumption of alcohol can be due to the habits of our sample, since 77.4% of Italians and 73.0% of Spaniards stated to generally stay at home in the evening, while 22.6% of Italians and 27.0% of Spaniards went out.…”

“…However, 86 Italians and 53 Spaniards have reported an intake of less than 300 mL of alcoholic beverages per day, which is the maximum required to be considered adherent to MD, according to the MED-55 score [ 27 ]. In the study conducted by López-Moreno et al [ 15 ], the questionnaire from the PREDIMED study (MDS-14) was used, and it was reported that a high percentage of the students did not reach the intake of wine for the assignment of one point. On the other hand, Rodríguez-Muñoz et al [ 16 ] and Carlos et al [ 14 ] used the Mediterranean diet quality index for children and adolescents (KIDMED), not including alcoholic beverages, to evaluate the relationship between hazardous alcohol use and MD adherences in Spanish university students.…”

“…When the compliance with the recommendations of the MD pyramid was evaluated among Italians, the regular consumption of fruits and vegetables was significantly more common in females, and it increased with age and education (84.7% of those with a university degree) [ 13 ]. Controversial results came from studies that evaluated the relationship between alcohol consumption and adherence to the MD in Spain [ 14 , 15 , 16 ]; however, in addition to high alcohol intake, factors that predicted a worse diet in Spanish university students included male gender and living alone [ 17 ]. The university population is divided into two categories: those who live with their parents and those who live away from home [ 18 ].…”