Eating habits and subjective well-being among university students in southern Chile

Aim: To distinguish typologies of university students in southern Chile on the basis of their level of satisfaction with life and food-related life, and to characterize them according to their eating habits inside and outside the place of residence, aspects associated with health and demographic characteristics. Materials and Methods: A structured questionnaire was applied to a non-probabilistic sample of 347 students at the Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile. The instruments for collecting information included the SWLS (Satisfaction with Life Scale), SWFL (Satisfaction with Food-related Life) and the HRQOL (Health-related Quality of Life Index). Questions were asked about eating habits inside and outside the place of residence, weight and approximate height, and variables for demographic classification. Results: Using a cluster analysis, three student typologies were distinguished, with significant differences in the SWLS and SWFL scores. The typologies differed in the number of days affected by emotional health problems, classification of their nutritional status (BMI), selfperception of their state of health, importance of food to personal well-being, place of residence during the period of studies, frequency of eating in the place of residence and frequency of meals at inconvenient times. Conclusions: The possibility of living with parents during the period of university studies is associated with better eating habits, better emotional health and selfperception of health, lower prevalence of overweight and obesity, and greater satisfaction with the life and foodrelated life.

The aim of this study was to categorize university students based on their association between food neophobia and levels of subjective well-being, in general and in the food domain, and their perception of their family's eating habits. A survey was conducted among 372 university students from southern Chile. The questionnaire included the Food Neophobia Scale (FNS), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Satisfaction with Food-related Life (SWFL), Health-related Quality of Life Index (HRQOL-4), and Family Eating Habits Questionnaire (FEHQ). Three student types were distinguished by cluster analysis: Group 1 (26.9%) had the highest scores on the FNS, SWLS and SWFL. Group 2 (40.8%) had a high score on the FNS but the lowest scores on the SWLS and SWFL. Group 3 (32.3%) had the lowest FNS score and high scores on the SWLS and SWFL. Group 2 stood out in having a low score on the FEHQ's component for cohesiveness of family eating. These results suggest that both neophobic and non-neophobic students have positive levels of satisfaction with life and food-related life, and that satisfaction among neophobic students is related to family eating patterns, especially cohesiveness in family eating.

The aim of this study was to distinguish university student profiles according to life satisfaction and satisfaction with food-related life and family, as well as to determine whether profiles differ in terms of their family support, quality of diet, body mass index (BMI) and socio-demographic characteristics. A questionnaire was applied to a non-probabilistic sample of 370 students of both sexes (mean age 21.1 years, 54.2% female) in Chile, including Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Satisfaction with Food-related Life (SWFoL) scale, Satisfaction with Family Life (SWFaL) scale, Family Resources Scale (FRS) and the Adapted Healthy Eating Index (AHEI). Three student types were distinguished with significant differences in average values of SWLS, SWFoL and SWFaL scales, z-scores from the intangible resources subscale from the FRS and average AHEI score. These profiles also differed in place of residence, dinner frequency at place of residence and BMI. Higher life satisfaction levels, as well as food-related life satisfaction, family life satisfaction, and intangible family support, were associated with a higher quality diet, lower BMI, living with parents while at university, and having dinner more frequently at home.

This study aimed to assess the effect of satisfaction with food-related life on life satisfaction among inhabitants of the main municipalities of central Chile. A survey was applied to a sample of 1,277 people, distributed proportionally by municipality. The questionnaire included the following scales: SWLS (Satisfaction with Life Scale), SWFL (Satisfaction with Food-related Life) and the Health-Related Quality of Life Index (HRQOL). Questions were asked regarding eating habits inside and outside the home, time available for meals at home, the assessment of five sources of happiness and the demographic characteristics of those surveyed. An ordered logit model was proposed, in which the dependent variable was satisfaction with life. Satisfaction with life was significantly related to the respondent's socioeconomic status, self-perception of health, degree of satisfaction with food-related life, monthly food expenditure, time available for supper with the family (p < .01); gender, self-reported number of days affected by mental health problems, frequency of supper with the family, the degree of agreement with respect to family being an important source of happiness (p < .05); and family size and frequency of food consumption in fast food outlets (p < .10). Satisfaction with life in the study sample is related to aspects associated with health, family and eating, and the family interaction associated with eating may play an important role in overall satisfaction with life.

Psychometric Properties of the Satisfaction With Food-Related Life Scale: Application in Southern Chile

Research has evaluated the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns on individuals' life satisfaction, but wellbeing interrelations between family members in this context have been less explored. This study examined the spillover and crossover effects of one parent's job satisfaction (JS), satisfaction with family life (SWFaL) and satisfaction with food-related life (SWFoL) on their own, their partner's, and their adolescent children's life satisfaction (LS), and the influence of adolescents' SWFaL and SWFoL on their own and their parents' LS, in dual-earner families with adolescents. The moderating role of job-related variables of both parents were also explored. Questionnaires were administered to 860 dual-earner parents with adolescents in two cities in Chile during 2020. Mothers and fathers answered the Overall Job Satisfaction Scale and the three family members answered the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Satisfaction with Family Life Scale and the Satisfaction with Food-related Life Scale. Using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model and structural equation modeling, we found that fathers' LS was positively associated with their own JS, SWFaL and SWFoL (spillover), and negatively with adolescents' SWFoL (crossover). Likewise, mothers' LS was positively associated with their own JS, SWFaL and SWFoL (spillover), with fathers' and adolescents' SWFaL, and negatively with adolescents' SWFoL. Adolescents' LS was positively associated with their own SWFaL and SWFoL (spillover), and with their fathers' JS, and negatively with their fathers' SWFoL. JS showed gendered patterns in spillover and crossover associations. Parents' type of employment, mothers' working hours and city of residence moderated some spillover and crossover associations for father-mother and parent-adolescent dyads. These findings suggest that, for dual-earner parents with adolescents, improving individuals' LS requires interventions that should be carried out not individually, but at a family level.

The present study aimed at exploring associations among meal-related behaviour, social engagement factors, satisfaction with food-related life (SWFL) to assess food-related wellbeing and subjective wellbeing in Danish older adults living alone. Three hundred and eighty-eight older adults aged 65-75 years from six Danish municipalities completed an online or article-based survey addressing home cooking, commensality, loneliness, SWFL and subjective wellbeing. Home cooking frequency and self-perceived cooking skills were positively associated with SWFL but not with subjective wellbeing. Commensality was positively associated with SWFL but was not associated with subjective wellbeing. The level of loneliness was negatively associated with SWFL and with subjective wellbeing. Satisfaction with food-related life and subjective health status were positively associated with subjective wellbeing. Male and female respondents did not differ in meal-related behaviour, social engagement factors, SWFL and wellbeing. While the cross-sectional nature of this study does not allow for the direction of causality to be determined, these results suggest that older adults living alone could benefit from a higher frequency of home-cooked meals, a higher level of self-perceived cooking skills and commensality to support SWFL. A higher level of SWFL could, in turn, lead to a higher level of wellbeing.

Food neophobia, nanotechnology and satisfaction with life

Eating habits and subjective well-being. A typology of students in Chilean state universities

The impact of personal resources and their goal relevance on satisfaction with food-related life among the elderly

Longitudinal multigroup invariance analysis of the satisfaction with food-related life scale in university students

To distinguish typologies of seniors according to their levels of satisfaction with life and food-related life, and to characterize them according to the importance assigned to family, health-related aspects, eating habits, nutritional status and sociodemographic characteristics. A survey was administered to a non-probabilistic sample of 817 seniors aged 60 years and over, of both genders, resident in urban and rural zones of the province of Guayas, Ecuador. The instrument included: Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Satisfaction with Food-related Life (SWFL), the Health-related Quality of Life Index (HRQOL-4) and the Family Importance Scale (FIS). Eating habits, sociodemographic variables, approximate weight and height were asked about. A cluster analysis was used to distinguish three typologies that differed significantly in the scores on the SWLS, SWFL, FIS, number of days with mental health problems, self-perception of health status, body mass index, eating habits and zone of residence. Two typologies presented high levels of satisfaction with life and food-related life, although the variables associated with overall well-being and in the food domain were different in each typology. The results suggest that high levels of satisfaction with life and food-related life in Ecuadorian seniors are associated with both healthful eating habits and having lunch in company, fewer mental health problems and greater importance assigned to family.

Family is a major determinant of children’s and adolescents’ eating behavior. The objectives of the present study were to assess diet quality, eating habits, satisfaction with life, family life, and food-related life in mother–father–adolescent triads, and to identify profiles of families according to family members’ diet quality. Questionnaires were administered to a sample of 300 two-parent families with one child over the age of 10 in the city of Temuco (Chile), including the Adapted Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Satisfaction with Food-related Life (SWFoL) scale, Satisfaction with Family Life (SWFaL) scales, and questions relating to their eating habits. Positive relationships were found between the diet quality of the family members, particularly between mothers and adolescents. Three family profiles with different diet qualities were identified: “families with an unhealthy diet” (39.3%), “families in which mothers and adolescents have healthy diets, but the fathers’ diets require changes” (14.3%), and “families that require changes in their diet” (46.4%). These findings stress the key role of mothers in determining family diet quality and suggest a positive relationship between diet quality and satisfaction with life.

Variables que influyen en la satisfacción con la vida de personas de distinto nivel socioeconómico en el sur de Chile

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the effect of attitudes towards functional foods (AFF) on university students’ satisfaction with food-related life (SWFL) and to distinguish student typologies, considering that the AFF are not homogeneous among consumers. Design/methodology/approach A survey was applied to 372 university students (mean age=20.4 years, SD=2.4) in Southern Chile. The questionnaire included the AFF questionnaire and the SWFL scale, questions about consumption and knowledge about functional food (FF) and socio-demographic characteristics. Findings Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling, it was found that AFF directly and significantly influence students’ SWFL. A cluster analysis applied to the Z-scores from the factors obtained by the CFA classified three typologies: positive towards FF (36.3 per cent), moderately positive towards FF (43.0 per cent) and negative towards FF (20.7 per cent). The positive towards FF type had a significantly greater SWFL score than the negative towards FF type. The types differ according to consumption and knowledge about FF. Research limitations/implications This study was conducted in the context of only one country in South America. Originality/value This study is the first that assesses the effect of AFF on SWFL in a sample of university students. Fostering positive attitudes towards FF will allow for a growth in the degree of SWFL of university students with features similar to those of the study sample.