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.
Highlights
The university stage is a period where habits can be altered by organisational and socio-cultural factors, which can have a modifying effect on chronotype: a variable that can modulate different habits such as diet, physical activity, or sexual opinion
Students who skipped breakfast were evening chronotype (E-type) (p < 0.001). It has been observed how E-type personality was associated with lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet and a tendency towards erotophilia
Our results suggest eveningness was associated with lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet and a tendency towards erotophilia in a sample of university students
Summary
The university stage is a period where habits can be altered by organisational and socio-cultural factors, which can have a modifying effect on chronotype: a variable that can modulate different habits such as diet, physical activity, or sexual opinion. The university stage is a period of critical education for the development of dietary habits which determine future health [1,2]. Nutrients 2020, 12, 1900 their different levels of organisation [4]. Circadian rhythms are the best-known in humans. These are biological rhythms with a duration of around 24 h (20 to 28 h), which regulate the changes that can occur in physical and mental characteristics throughout the day [4,5]
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