Hábitos alimentarios de riesgo en la población universitaria extremeña

Abstract

Eating disorders are nowadays an increasing problem in developed countries. Among de population at risk are particularly young people, influenced by the style of a specific body aesthetic, social pressure and advertising, sometimes combined with sedentary lifestyle and other factors. Young college students are not free of this influence. They require special attention, mostly those who are preparing themselves for working in education and caring. 600 students have been evaluated in the University of Extremadura. They are between 18 and 26 years old, and study 13 different college degrees. The object of this research is to analyze the frequency a features of the risk of having disorders related to alimentation and weight among the young college students in Extremadura. In order to achieve this, we investigated their nutrition status and their eating habits. The tools that have been used are the Eating Disorders Inventory EDI-3 RF, the IMAGEN questionnaire, the questionnaire from the Mediterranean Diet Adhesion PREDIMED study, and anthropometric and social-demographic data. The results show that there is a high percentage of students at risk of suffering Eating Disorders. Girls have more body dissatisfaction and thinness obsession than boys. They, on the other hand, have more bulimic features. Although the majority have a normal weight, women have more thinness and men have more overweight. The Mediterranean Diet Adhesion is low and very low. Standing out among this categories, the ones who have more adhesion are biological and health science students. Education students have lower rates of ADM, and the most risky factors for Eating Disorders, as thinness obsession and body dissatisfaction