Criterios para la selección de alimentos de estudiantes universitarios de nutrición

Abstract

Abstract

Introduction: Food selection is affected by multiple factors. Most studies on eating behavior of university students focus on consumption frequencies and identifying facilitators and barriers in food; little information is found regarding the criteria used to choose food products. Objective: To identify the criteria used by university nutrition students for the selection of their food. Methods: This is a descriptive, comparative, prospective, and cross-sectional study. Seventy-four nutrition students from the second (n = 43) and tenth (n= 31) semesters of a public institution were studied. The questionnaire "food behavior of Mexican students in the health area” was applied to obtain information regarding food selection. ror statistical analysis, X² and risher’s exact test with a 95% confldence range and a 5% margin of error were used. Results: There were 74 participants (82.4% fe- male, l7.6% male), average age 20.6l + 2.l5 years. The main factor when selecting foods was nutritional content, followed by flavor. The preferred culinary techniques were roast and stir fry. When eating snacks, they prefer vegetables and fruits. Plain water was the preferred drink and was the only factor with a signiflcant difference (Frisher’s exact test p = 0.027). Conclusions: Nutritional content, taste, and desire to take care of health were the main factors for food selection; the latter factor was related to the preferences of culinary techniques, consumption of fruits and vegetables as snacks, and consuming plain water as a priority. LUXMÉDICA AÑO 15, NÚMERO 45, SEPTIEMBRE-DICIEMBRE 2020, PP 3-13.