Abstract
ABSTRACT This narrative literature review aimed to analyze the results of studies on the food intake of university students. A literature search was conducted in July 2014 and updated in July 2016 in the Scopus, MedLine/PubMed, and SciELO databases, using descriptors related to university students and food intake in English and Portuguese. Overall, 37 studies that analyzed university students’ food intake were included in this review, eight of which were conducted in Brazil. The results demonstrated that most university students have unhealthy eating behaviors, such as high intake of fast foods, snacks, sweets, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages, and low intake of fruits, vegetables, fish, whole grains, and legumes. Undergraduate students of health sciences, such as nursing, nutrition, and medicine, did not have healthier diets. University students’ food intake was characterized as unhealthy, regardless of undergraduate program or sex, especially among students who left the parents’ home and became responsible for their own food. Therefore, there is a need of developing public policies that promote healthy eating habits among students, such as interventions to change their eating habits and increase their access to healthy foods at the university environment.
Highlights
University education may be considered a transition period between adolescence and adulthood, one in which students become independent from their parents and acquire new health behaviors [1].Given the time adolescents and young adults spend at universities and nearby areas, said sites may influence the eating habits of these students in adulthood [2]
University life and its dietary context are often associated with inappropriate eating habits in students
This review investigated exploratory studies that analyzed the food intake of university students and papers with repeated data from similar sources were excluded, prioritizing inclusion of the original sources
Summary
University education may be considered a transition period between adolescence and adulthood, one in which students become independent from their parents and acquire new health behaviors [1]. Given the time adolescents and young adults spend at universities and nearby areas, said sites may influence the eating habits of these students in adulthood [2]. Reviews that discuss the results of studies on university students’ food intake and establish a common profile for those students have not been found. According to Alves & Boog [11], understanding the eating behavior of these young adults is important because it allows the development of health-promoting interventions. In this context, the objective of this article was to make a narrative literature review to analyze the results of Brazilian and foreign studies that investigate university students’ food intake. This review attempted to answer the following question: How does characterize the food intake of university students?
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