Análisis de los hábitos alimentarios y la composición corporal de los alumnos de primero y segunda ciclo.

Abstract

Introduction: The accumulation of nutrients and other substrates throughout the life of a person, are components that provide the mass and form in addition to all the functions that each individual has. Objective: To analyze the eating habits and body composition of the first and second semester students of the Nutrition and Dietetics Degree at the “Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil”. Methods: Prospective, cross-sectional, non-experimental correlational study based on the data collected from students. 59 university students from 17 to 30 years of age were included, whose eating habits and body composition were determined by a 24-hour reminder, questionnaire on frequency of consumption, weight, height and bioelectrical impedance method. Results: The average fat percentage was 32.77% ± 9.48, the average total body fat mass was 20.15% ± 7.76 and the average skeletal muscle mass was 22.42% ± 6.50 A high female population (77.93%) was observed, compared to the male population (22.03%). The dairy products with the highest consumption were milk and its derivatives (40.68%), while the protein product with the highest consumption was the egg (35.59%) in contrast to fish and offal (5.08%). As for legumes and flours, the most consumed were breads and cereals (33.9%). A tendency was observed to consume a daily portion of fruits and fritters with a percentage of 33.9% and 11.86% respectively. Conclusion: The eating habits of first and second semester university students are inadequate and there is a tendency of high percentage of fat and total body fat mass in their body composition.