Consumo de frutas, verduras y legumbres en universitarios chilenos / Consumption of fruits, vegetables and legumes among Chilean university students

RESUMEN Recomendaciones internacionales indican que se deben consumir diariamente 400 g/día o su equivalente a 5 porciones de frutas, verduras o legumbres. Nuestro objetivo fue determinar la frecuencia de consumo de frutas, verduras y legumbres en estudiantes universitarios chilenos. Materiales y Métodos: Estudio transversal. Fueron evaluados estudiantes universitarios (n= 1454) del norte, centro y sur de Chile. Ellos completaron una encuesta alimentaria que se utiliza para determinar hábitos alimentarios saludables (frutas, verduras y legumbres). El 78% era de sexo femenino. Al analizar la frecuencia de consumo de frutas, verduras y legumbres según universidad, sólo frutas y verduras mostraron de diferencia estadísticamente significativa (p< 0,01). El 70% de los estudiantes no cumple con la recomendación de consumo de frutas; 72% con la de verduras y 77% con la de legumbres. En mujeres, un 6,3% del total de la muestra cumple con la recomendación de frutas y en hombres el valor alcanza al 8,4%; en verduras se observa que la recomendación alcanza al 29,5% en mujeres y 21,3% en hombres, y en legumbres, es 2,4% en mujeres y 5% en hombres. Se observa un bajo consumo de frutas, verduras y legumbres en universitarios muy lejos de las recomendaciones internaciones.

ABSTRACT International recommendations indicate that 400 g/ day or its equivalent to 5 servings of fruits, vegetables or legumes should be consumed daily. Our aim was to determine patterns of consumption of fruits, vegetables and legumes among Chilean university students. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional study. University students (n= 1454) from the north, center and south of Chile were evaluated. A self-assessment survey was used to evaluate healthy eating habits (fruits, vegetables and legumes). Seventy-eight percent of participants were women. When analyzing the consumption frequency of fruits, vegetables and legumes according to different universities, only fruits and vegetables showed a statistically significant difference (p< 0.01). Seventy percent of students do not meet recommended amounts for fruit consumption; 72% for vegetables and 77% for legumes. Among women, 6.3% of the total sample met the recommendation for fruit, while, for men, the value was 8.4%; for vegetables, we observed that 29.5 and 21.3% of women and men, respectively, met the recommendation; for legumes, 2.4% of women and 5% of men met the recommendation. There was a low consumption of fruits, vegetables and legumes among university students, with levels far from the international recommendations.

Caracterización del estado nutricional, hábitos alimentarios y estilos de vida de estudiantes universitarios chilenos: estudio multicéntrico / Lifestyles, body mass index and sleep patterns among university students

Background Health surveys in Chile show a worrisome high prevalence of unhealthy lifestyles among adults. Aim To characterize the nutritional status, food intake and sleep patterns in university students of both genders. Material and Methods Cross sectional study in seven Chilean universities. Students from six universities answered a feeding habits survey, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Insomnia Severity Index and Epworth Sleepiness Scale. All were weighed and their height was measured. Results A total of 1,418 students aged 21 ± 3 years (22% males) were evaluated. Three percent were classified as underweight, 68% as normal weight, 24% as overweight and 4% as obese. Thirty three percent of males and 28% of females smoked. Twenty six percent consumed at least one glass of alcoholic beverages on the weekend, and only 18% of males and 5% of females were physically active. Men consumed unhealthy foods with a significantly higher frequency than females. Twenty seven percent had mild daytime somnolence, 24% had moderate daytime somnolence, 50% had subclinical insomnia, 19% moderate insomnia, and 1.4% had severe insomnia. Conclusions In this group of students a high frequency of unhealthy lifestyles and malnutrition caused by excess was observed. Also a high prevalence of insomnia, daytime somnolence, and inadequate sleep amounts were recorded.

Consumo de edulcorantes no nutritivos y estado nutricional de escolares de 10-16 años / Consumption of non-nutritive sweeteners and nutritional status in 10-16 year old students

Introducción. El impacto de los edulcorantes no nutritivos (ENN) sobre la ingesta energética y el peso corporal es poco claro, a pesar del nulo aporte energético que brindan en comparación con la sacarosa. Objetivo. Determinar si existen diferencias en el consumo de ENN según el estado nutricional y su asociación con el sobrepeso. Población, material y métodos. Estudio de corte transversal, que incluyó a 571 escolares de 10-16 años, de ambos sexos, de las ciudades de Viña del Mar y Santiago de Chile, a quienes se les aplicó una encuesta alimentaria adaptada con fotografías de productos con ENN, se les evaluó el estado nutricional y se denominó grupo (SP) a los escolares con sobrepeso y obesidad. Resultados. El 96,6% de los estudiantes consume ENN diariamente. Al comparar la ingesta de ENN total y según el estado nutricional de los hombres, se evidenció un mayor consumo de sucralosa (p < 0,05) y sacarina (p < 0,01) en el grupo SP, y, al comparar la ingesta por kilo de peso, el consumo de sacarina fue mayor en el grupo SP (p < 0,05). En las mujeres, el grupo normopeso presentó un consumo por kilo de peso de acesulfamo k mayor que el grupo SP (p < 0,05). No hubo asociación entre la ingesta de ENN en general y la obesidad en la muestra estudiada. Conclusión. El 96,6% de los estudiantes consume ENN diariamente y no se encontró asociación entre el consumo de ENN y el sobrepeso.

Introduction. The impact of non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) on energy intake and body weight is not clear although they provide no energy compared to sucrose. Objective. To establish if there are differences in the consumption of NNS as per the nutritional status and its association with overweight. Population, Material and Methods. Cross-sectional study including 571 male and female students aged 10-16 years old from the cities of Viña del Mar and Santiago de Chile who were administered an adapted food survey using pictures of NNS-containing products; nutritional status was assessed and students with overweight and obesity were categorized as a the overweight group. Results. Of all surveyed students, 96.6% consume NNS on a daily basis. The comparison between the total NNS intake by nutritional status showed that male students in the overweight group consume more sucralose (p < 0.05) and saccharin (p < 0.01), while the comparison of NNS intake per kilogram of body weight showed that NNS consumption was higher in the overweight group (p < 0.05). Among female students, the normal weight group showed a higher consumption of acesulfame K per kilogram of body weight than the overweight group (p < 0.05). No association was observed in the studied sample between the overall NNS intake and obesity. Conclusion. Of all surveyed students, 96.6% consume NNS on a daily basis, and no association was found between NNS consumption and overweight.