Abstract
Research has suggested that university students are at risk from certain unhealthy habits, such as poor diet or alcohol abuse. At the same time, anxiety levels appear to be higher among university students, which may lead to high levels of emotional eating. The aim of this study was to analyze the degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet (AMD), emotional eating, alcohol intake, and anxiety among Spanish university students, and the interrelationship of these variables. A total of 252 university students filled out the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED) questionnaire for Mediterranean diet adherence, an Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, a State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Emotional Eater Questionnaire. We analyzed descriptive data, a t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) for differences, a Pearson correlation, and multiple regression tests. Results showed low levels of AMD among university students (15.5%) and considerable levels of emotional eating (29%) and anxiety (23.6%). However, levels of alcohol dependence were low (2.4%). State-anxiety was a predictor of the emotional eater score and its subscales, and sex also was predictive of subscale guilt and the total score. However, AMD was predicted only by trait-anxiety. These models accounted for between 1.9% and 19%. The results suggest the need for the implementation of educational programs to promote healthy habits among university students at risk.
Highlights
College students find themselves in a transition period towards adulthood in which they have reached biological maturity without comparable psycho-social development [1]
The results of the questionnaire regarding adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (AMD) show that 20.7% of participants have a poor diet (N = 52), while 63.7% show dietary habits that need improvement (N = 161) and only 15.5% have an optimum Mediterranean diet (N = 39)
Poor eating habits have long been associated with alcohol consumption among university students [64,65], the present study found no relation between the level of alcohol consumption and the degree of AMD
Summary
College students find themselves in a transition period towards adulthood in which they have reached biological maturity without comparable psycho-social development [1]. The beginning of the university experience is usually accompanied by significant changes in lifestyle, including changes in diet and poor eating habits such as skipping meals, inadequate nutrition, and frequent intake of fast food [2,3]. This unhealthy behavior is associated, among Mediterranean populations, with a departure from the Mediterranean dietary model, defined as being low in saturated fat and sweets, and high in olive oil, vegetables, fruits, cereals, nuts, and legumes [4], while poor nutrition is generally associated with substance abuse including the excessive intake of alcohol [5,6]. Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (AMD) is Nutrients 2020, 12, 2224; doi:10.3390/nu12082224 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients
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