Associations between Chronotype, Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Sexual Opinion among University Students

Abstract

A person’s chronotype determines different habits, among which are eating and physical activity. Furthermore, at the university stage, social and organisational factors have a direct effect on students’ daily attitudes and habits. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet is linked to better sleep quality and less social jet lag, but association with chronotype or sexual opinion remains unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the associations between chronotype, adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, and sexual opinion. A multicentre observational study enrolled 457 students, from the University of Castilla-La Mancha and the University of Cordoba. Sociodemographic data and adherence to the Mediterranean diet, chronotype, physical activity, and sexual opinion were collected with validated questionnaires. The study period was from December 2017 to January 2018. Our results reported that students with an evening chronotype (E-type), with evening preferences, had a lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet and showed a higher tendency towards erotophilia. E-type students reported a significantly lower intake of fruits, vegetables, pulses, cereals, and olive oil, and higher breakfast skipping. Therefore, among the measures to promote healthy habits (obesity prevention, sexual education, socialisation, etc.), chronotype and an analysis of the impact of the schedules established by the universities must be considered.

Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Self-efficacy as Mediators in the Mediation of Sleep Quality and Grades in Nursing Students

“…Studies have shown that evening types have a reduced time and a low quality of sleep, daytime sleepiness and worse school performances [53]. Moreover, recent studies have shown that students with an evening chronotype had a lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet, reporting a significantly lower intake of fruits, vegetables, pulses, cereals and olive oil and higher breakfast skipping [54]. Therefore, this factor could be directly or indirectly affecting academic performance in line with this research.…”

Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Its Association With Sleep Quality and Chronotype Among Youth: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…From a health perspective, the morning chronotype has been the preferred chronotype over the evening one, with the former having less association with cardiometabolic risk factors and other health problems, including psychological, neurological, and gastrointestinal morbidities, and lower mortality rates compared to evening chronotypes (69). These health improvements associated with the morning chronotype could be also a mirror for the improved eating habits consistently reported with such chronotype, as revealed by the increased adherence to the MD by people with morning chronotype (70,71). The reported low prevalence of morningness chronotype in comparison with the eveningness one (15.1% vs. 24.5%, respectively) among the study sample is expected, considering the frequently observed long stay up at night among surrounding and neighboring students, and in line with the low prevalence reported in other parts of the world.…”

Individual Circadian Preference, Eating Disorders and Obesity in Children and Adolescents: A Dangerous Liaison? A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis

“…Twelve of the included studies had a cross-sectional design [ 10 , 12 , 18 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 26 , 27 , 29 , 30 ], one was a retrospective cohort [ 28 ] and two were case-control [ 19 , 25 ]. Six out of the fifteen studies selected were conducted in Turkey and two in Spain.…”

“…The remaining seven studies were conducted in Italy, Hong Kong, Lebanon, France, United Kingdom, China, and Germany. The mean age of the study population ranged from 21 [ 22 ] to 9 years [ 28 ] ( Table 1 ). With regard to the quality of evidence, 6 out of the 15 selected studies were considered as ‘good’, [ 10 , 20 , 22 , 24 , 27 , 28 ], while the remaining 9 were rated ‘fair’ [ 12 , 18 , 19 , 21 , 25 , 26 , 29 , 30 ] ( Tables S2–S4 ).…”