Asociación de ingesta alimentaria con riesgo de un trastorno alimentario, actividad física e índice de masa corporal en estudiantes universitarios mexicanos.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: During university life new routines and life-styles are adapted into conduct, which can associate to unfavorable changes in food consumption, alimentary-risk conducts (CAR) associated with alimentary-conduct disorders (TCA), sedentary life-style and restrained physical-activity (AF), which promote weight-gain and have repercussions on the body-mass index (IMC), enhancing the prevalence of overweight and obesity in such population. Objectives: The main objective for this study was to determine the association between the alimentary intake, CAR, AF, sedentary life-style and IMC in college students from Hidalgo state. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Transversal analytic study in a probabilistic sample of 378 students of both sexes, ranging from 18 to 30 years old in Hidalgo, México. The frequency of food consumption, TCA-risk, sedentary lifestyle, and AF were measured by the means of previously validated and standardized scales. The patient’s IMC was calculated from self-reports. RESULTS: TCA-risk was slightly higher in women (38.1%) than in men (29%), nonetheless the difference was not significant. The consumption of certain food-groups presented a significant difference by sex, TCA-risk and AF class. 31.7% of the sample registered a sedentary life-style, with men exerting more AF than women. The sampled population reached a total prevalence of 28% of overweight/obesity. CONCLUSION: Overweight/obesity increased 2.19 times the risk for developing a TCA in the overall population. In women, this condition increased 3.27 times the risk. It was observed that female sex is a protective factor (in 64% of the cases) to develop overweight/obesity (RM= 0.36, p<0.01).