title: Adherence to Mediterranean diet in a Spanish university population.
abstract: The aim of this work was to characterize food habits of Spanish University students and to assess the quality of their diet and some possible determinant factors according to Mediterranean food pattern among other indices. Two hundred eighty-four enrolled students during the academic year 2012-2013 participated in this survey. For each individual a questionnaire involving anthropometric measurements, types of housing, smoking habits and levels of physical activity were self-reported. Food consumption was gathered by two nonconsecutive 24 hour recalls including one weekend day. BMI within the normal range was showed by 72.5% of students and 75% of the sample reflected a sedentary lifestyle or low physical activity. The percentage of total energy from each macronutrient was approximately 17% proteins, 40% carbohydrates and 40% lipids. The ratio of polyunsaturated to monounsaturated fat only reached 0.32. Cholesterol consumption in men exceeded the intake in women by 70 mg/day but nutritional objectives were exceeded in both genders. The main source of protein had an animal origin from meat (38.1%), followed by cereals (19.4%) and dairy products (15.6%). The assessment of diet quality conducted by Healthy Eating Index (HEI) and Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) revealed a low-intermediate score in both (51.2 ± 12.8 and 4.0 ± 1.5, respectively). The main deviations from Mediterranean pattern were a low intake of vegetables and fruit and a high consumption of meat and dairy products. According to HEI classification, 96.1% of subjects scored "poor" or "needs improvement" about the quality of their diet and only 5.3% of students achieved a high adherence to Mediterranean diet. It is necessary to foster changes toward a healthier diet pattern according to cultural context in this population for preventing cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Av España s/n, Campus Universitario, 02071 Albacete, Spain. Electronic address: mariajosefa.garcia@uclm.es.
authors.forename: María José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: García-Meseguer
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Health and Social Affairs of Castilla-La Mancha, Ctra Campillo de Altobuey s/n, 16200 Motilla del Palancar, Cuenca, Spain.
authors.forename: Faustino Cervera
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Burriel
authors.affiliation: Primary Health Care Center, Health Service of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain.
authors.forename: Cruz Vico
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: García
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Computer Science Engineering, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Av España s/n, Campus Universitario, 02071 Albacete, Spain.
authors.forename: Ramón
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Serrano-Urrea
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003469:Culture; D004032:Diet / Q000592:standards; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013030:Spain; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: 24 hour recall; Food habits; Healthy Eating Index; Mediterranean Diet Score; Mediterranean diet; University students