Nivel de conocimiento sobre alimentación saludable y su relación con los hábitos alimentarios en los estudiantes del primer ciclo de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas de la Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Adequate balanced nutrition and good habits ensure good living. It is essential that households have knowledge of healthy nutrition. OBJECTIVE: To figure out the level of knowledge of healthy eating, and its relationship with eating habits; in first-year university students. METHOD: A non-experimental qualitative cross-sectional design was conducted, collected through a structured and validated questionnaire. 108 students were evaluated, of which 100 met the inclusion criteria. This evaluation was performed on (65) women and (35) men; It was applied to 100 students. Each group consisted of 20 subjects, between the ages of 17 to 22: belonging to the 5 careers of the faculty of medical sciences. RESULTS: The "General Knowledge Questionnaire on Nutrition and Food" showed that in general 59% of the respondents have a low level of knowledge, 38% a medium level, while only 3% have a high level. The consumption frequency survey showed a 100% deficit in the consumption of fruits, vegetables, oils and other fats and a 94% deficit in the daily consumption of dairy products; it showed an excessive consumption of refined cereals. CONCLUSION: The level of knowledge of students about healthy eating, is related to the eating habits they keep.