Comparative Study of Habits in Scholar Students before and During His University Studies in Spain

Iglesias Mt,Cuesta E

doi:10.26502/jesph.96120026

Abstract

Evidence suggests that in most Western countries young people adopt lifestyles that affect their health negatively, raising in this way the risk of the premature appearance of chronic illnesses. Objective: is to compare the habits of scholar and university students in Madrid, Spain. Material and methods: longitudinal study with students from some universities and schools in Madrid, Spain. Participatin 1600 students of both sexes, pre-university and university level, agreed to participate in the study: 653 men (41.3%) and 940 women (58.7%). The students were classified into 2 age groups: ≤ 17 years old (scholar) and ≥ 18 years old (university). Results: The BMI, the physical activity and the negative habits in terms of consumption of food stuffs and alcohol were studied. Most of them are of normal weight (80%), and with regard to physical activity, the study found the scholar students to be the most active. Conclusion: Differences were found between the sexes, which finding should guide actions of intervention with relation to physical activity or habits, and so it seems to be fundamental to carry out programmes of nutritional and psychosocial intervention in adolescents and young people, to prevent and to reduce the consumption of alcohol.

Highlights

The prevalence of excessive weight, and the fact that obesity has tripled over the last twenty years, has become a challenge recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which has classified it as a global epidemic [1]
The self-reported anthropometric data of weight and height, whose reliability might be a limitation, were recorded in the distribution of students by their body mass index (BMI); in turn they were distributed pursuant to the classification criteria proposed by the SEEDO (Spanish Society for the Study of Obesity) [19]
Young people often give the impression that they know everything, when it comes to nutritional and life habits there is a great lack of awareness, and prevention is crucial in this field to head off the future repercussions, both in health and socioeconomic terms

Summary

Introduction

The prevalence of excessive weight, and the fact that obesity has tripled over the last twenty years, has become a challenge recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which has classified it as a global epidemic [1]. The diet of young people can usually be characterised by excessive consumption of meats and their derivatives, as well as refined sugars, while the consumption of fish, fruit and vegetables is deficient, which gives rise to an imbalance in the percentage contributions of the direct sources of the daily calorific intake [2,3,4]. This decline in the quality of the diet will have future repercussions for their health. University students are aware of the importance of eating properly for their health, this stage of education makes doing so difficult due to the lack of time for it [9]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion