Prevalence and Predictors of Food Insecurity among Students of a Spanish University during the COVID-19 Pandemic: FINESCOP Project at the UPV/EHU.

Research related to food insecurity (FI) among European university student populations is currently limited, especially the studies carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aimed to assess the prevalence and identify possible predictors of FI among students from a Spanish public university, the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional observational study design was used, in which a total of 422 students completed an online survey. Results were weighted according to age and field of education. Binary logistic regressions adjusted by sex, age, and campus were applied to identify FI predictors. FI in 19.6, 2.6, and 0.7% of the population was mild, moderate, and severe, respectively. The three main predictors of FI were a decrease in the main source of income (OR, 2.80; 95% IC, 2.57-3.06), not receiving scholarships during the pandemic (OR, 2.32; 95% IC, 2.18-2.47), and living arrangements before the pandemic (not living with parents/relatives) (OR, 2.03, 95% IC, 1.89-2.18). This study found a high prevalence of FI among the students surveyed, and the strongest predictors of this FI were related to socioeconomic status. A robust and comprehensive policy response is recommended to mitigate FI in this population.

Superordinate identities and self-transcendent emotions: Longitudinal study in Spain and Chile.

Recent studies suggest that identification with all humanity (IWAH), apart from being related to universalistic values, could also be related to self-transcendent emotions (STE). In this scenario, the general objective of this cross-cultural longitudinal study is to examine the relationship between identification with proximate categories (i.e., community and country) and superordinate one (all humanity), and their association with positive self-oriented and STEs during a traumatic global phenomenon such as COVID-19 pandemics. Additionally, we explore variations regarding the patterns of those associations in different cultural contexts (Chile and Spain) and examine whether they change among two different time points (T1-T2). The total sample was composed of 403 participants, of whom 224 were residents in Chile (M = 39.25, SD = 12.56; range 18-71 years; 49.6% women) and 179 were residents in Spain (M = 36.35, SD = 12.12; range 18-68 years; 59.8% women). Data collection was carried out in September (T1) and November (T2) 2020, through online surveys administered via Survey Monkey® platform. Overall, results show, as expected, greater identification with proximate categories rather than superordinate ones, and an association between STEs and IWAH, but also with national and community identification. IWAH, but not STEs decreased significantly (T1-T2) in both countries. Thereafter, these emotional and behavioral responses decline as a symptom of growing fatigue with the pandemic situation, and also reflect a shift from broader to more local concerns. Analysis regarding comparisons between countries indicated higher levels of identification with community and with all humanity in Spain and with country in Chile. The results are discussed in the context of new developments in studies on IWAH.

On-campus food purchase behaviors, choice determinants, and opinions on food availability in a Spanish university community.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate food purchasing behaviors, choice determinants, and opinions about on-campus food availability by a university community and to analyze differences in these aspects between students, education and/or research staff (ERS), and administrative and services staff (ASS), and between males and females. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study that involved a representative sample of students (n = 1089), ERS (n = 396), and ASS (n = 300) who completed an anonymous online survey. A previously adapted version of the questionnaire was administered. The results were weighted to ensure representativeness of this community population using weighted coefficients. RESULTS: The results showed that most of the participants purchased food on campus (91.6%), especially for lunch (67.4% of foods and 37.4% of drinks) and snack (65.4% of foods and 45.4% of drinks). Hot drinks (i.e., coffee, tea, hot chocolate etc.; 60.5%), bottled water (49.2%), and hot foods (i.e., small servings [38.2%] and sandwiches/hamburgers [31.7%]) were the most purchased items. Taste (98.6%) was the most important determinant in choice, followed by price for students, nutritional value for ASS, and health value for ERS. The "top 5" opinions suggested for the campus food environment and potential changes were "greater capacity to access free filtered drinking water", "greater capacity to recycle food packaging," "more healthy options in vending machines", "discounts for healthy choices," and "allergen labeling." CONCLUSION: Interventions that improve sustainability and the affordability of products with high nutritional quality, price-manipulation directives, and allergen information on labeling would be well received among this community.

Nutritional quality and carbon footprint of university students' diets: results from the EHU12/24 study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate diets in terms of nutritional characteristics and quality from the perspectives of health, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) and possible associations with each other in a representative sample of students at a public university. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. Dietary intake was evaluated with a validated FFQ, and diet quality was assessed through the Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2010) and MedDietScore (MDS). GHGE data were obtained from the literature. In addition, sex, socio-economic status (SES) and body fat (BF) status were analysed as covariates. SETTING: Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. PARTICIPANTS: Totally, 26 165 healthy adults aged 18-28 years. RESULTS: Student diets were characterised by low consumption of carbohydrates (38·72 % of total energy intake (TEI)) and a high intake of lipids (39·08 % of TEI). Over half of the participants had low dietary quality. The low-emitting diets were more likely to be consumed by subjects with low HEI-2010 scores (ß: 0·039 kg eCO2/1000 kcal/d) and high MDS scores (ß: -0·023 kg eCO2/1000 kcal/d), after controlling for sex, SES and BF status. Both the low-emitting and healthy diets were more likely to be consumed by women and by those with normal BF percentage. CONCLUSIONS: UPV/EHU university students' diets were characterised by moderate quality from a nutritional perspective and moderate variation in the size of carbon footprints. In this population, diets of the highest quality were not always those with the lowest diet-related GHGE; this relationship depended in part on the constructs and scoring criteria of diet quality indices used.

Social climate in university classrooms: A mindfulness-based educational intervention.

There is a limited number of studies on the impact of mindfulness-based interventions on university students and their positive effect on collective experiences of shared flow. The aim of the present study was to explore the effectiveness of mindfulness training in terms of reducing stress and enhancing well-being, experiences of shared flow and classroom climate (engagement and affiliation). The intervention and control groups were matched by age and sex (n = 125; M = 20.71, SD = 4.60, 68% women). The intervention group comprised mindfulness exercises performed in the classroom over the course of 7 weeks. The principal variables were measured at pretest and posttest, and shared flow was also measured in the intervention group. In comparison with the control group, statistically significant differences were observed in the intervention group in relation to mindfulness, perceived stress, and classroom climate (affiliation). Furthermore, the perception of shared flow among students increased from the beginning to the end of the program. Mindfulness skills were found to mediate improvements in perceived well-being and stress. It is concluded that mindfulness practice can turn learning into a challenging and shared task. The study highlights the importance of fostering programs that enhance the development of competencies related to mindfulness among university students.

Basque Ethnic Identity and Collective Empowerment: Two Key Factors in Well-Being and Community Participation.

Social identity is a factor that is associated with well-being and community participation. Some studies have shown that ethnic identity goes along with empowerment, and that interaction between the two leads to greater indices of well-being and community participation. However, other works suggest a contextual circumstance (i.e., perceiving one's own group as a minority and/or being discriminated) may condition the nature of these relations. By means of a cross-sectional study, we analyzed the relations of social identification (or identity fusion) and collective psychological empowerment with personal well-being, social well-being and community participation in a sample of Basques. A total of 748 Basques participated (63.1% women; age M = 39.28; SD = 12.13). Individuals who were highly identified or fused with Basque speakers and who were highly empowered showed higher indices of well-being (both personal and social) and of community participation than non-fused individuals with low empowerment. The results also suggest that social identification (or identity fusion) offsets the negative effects of perceiving the group as a linguistic minority. Collective psychological empowerment proved to be an especially relevant factor that needs to continue to be explored.

Belonging and Social Integration as Factors of Well-Being in Latin America and Latin Europe Organizations.

BACKGROUND: Studies and meta-analyses found individual, meso and micro-social factors that are associated with individual well-being, as well as a positive socio-emotional climate or collective well-being. AIM: This article simultaneously studies and examines these factors of well-being. METHOD: Well-Being is measured as a dependent variable at the individual and collective level, as well as the predictors, in three cross-sectional and one longitudinal studies. Education and social intervention workers (N = 1300, K = 80) from Chile, Spain and Uruguay participate; a subsample of educators (k = 1, n = 37) from the south central Chile and from Chile, Uruguay and Spain (n = 1149); workers from organizations in Latin America and Southern Europe, military cadets from Argentina (N < 1000); and teams (K = 14) from Spanish companies. RESULTS: Individual and collective well-being indicators were related, suggesting that the emotional climate as a context improves personal well-being. Individual factors (emotional creativity and openness and universalism values), psychosocial factors (low stress, control over work and social support supervisors and peers) were positively associated with personal well-being in education and social intervention context. Organizational dynamic or transformational culture is directly and indirectly associated with individual well-being through previously described psychosocial factors. Group processes such as internal communication and safe participation, task orientation or climate of excellence as well as leadership style that reinforces participation and belonging, were positively associated with collective well-being in labor and military context and predict team work socio-emotional climate in a longitudinal study- but were unrelated to individual well-being. Transformational leadership plays a mediating role between functional factors and social-emotional climate in work teams. Organizational role autonomy, functional organizational leadership, integration and resources were associated with collective well-being in organizations. Organizational leadership moderates the relationship between task orientation and collective well-being in military context. CONCLUSION: Individual and microsocial factors influence personal well-being. Meso level factors favorable to well-being through processes which reinforce social belonging, influence directly collective well-being and indirectly personal well-being. Leadership that reinforces participation and belonging play a central role for emotional climate. Stress and emotional climate playing an important pivotal role for psychological well-being.

Experimental Ritual: Humanizing Immigrants or Utilitarian Prejudice in Europe? / Ritual experimental: ¿Humanizando a los inmigrantes o prejuicio utilitario en Europa?

Abstract Immigrants and refugees are constantly depicted in dehumanizing ways or as a function of economic gains for the hosting nation. These descriptions, added to the current socio-political European situation, could be dangerous due to infrahumanization levels among minorities who are target of prejudice. In this study, we attempted to reduce infrahumanization levels towards Maghrebian people through a ritualistic collective activity, manipulating the information participants had to use. Results indicate that participation was different among conditions and infrahumanization levels were reduced. Also, participants who used utilitarian information could humanize when an economic gain was perceived, while also increasing prejudice levels. The results are discussed in terms of collective rituals and the dualistic effect of utilitarian information.

Resumen A menudo los inmigrantes y refugiados son representados a través de formas deshumanizantes o como una ganancia económica para los países receptores. Este hecho, sumado a la situación sociopolítica europea actual, puede aumentar los niveles de infrahumanización que sufren las minorías objeto de prejuicio. En este estudio, se propuso reducir la infrahumanización hacia la población magrebí a través de una actividad ritualizada, manipulando la información que los participantes utilizaban. Los resultados indicaron que la participación fue diferente según las condiciones y que se redujo la infrahumanización. Además, los participantes que utilizaron información utilitarista humanizaban cuando percibían una ganancia económica, mientras que también aumentaban sus niveles de prejuicio. Los resultados se discuten en términos de rituales colectivos y efectos duales de la información utilitarista.

Choque y adaptación sociocultural una visión en espejo: vascos y brasileños / Clash and socio-cultural adaptation. A mirror image: Basques and Brazilians

Resumen Los inmigrantes experimentan cambios en las relaciones interpersonales y comunicativas, así como en el manejo de la distancia social. Este estudio analiza dichos cambios en dos grupos y contextos culturales: los inmigrantes brasileños en el País Vasco y los inmigrantes vascos en Brasil. Se esperan diferencias en las dimensiones del ajuste sociocultural en función del tiempo de estancia y del grupo, así como en las prácticas culturales del país de origen y de acogida. El estudio es transversal y retrospectivo. Los resultados muestran altas dificultades durante el primer año, en donde predominan las relativas al manejo de las Relaciones interpersonales, y posteriormente adquiere más importancia la dimensión de Manejo de la distancia social, especialmente en el caso de los vascos.

Abstract Immigrants experience changes in their interpersonal and communicative relationships, so as to deal with social distance. This study analyzes such changes among two different groups and cultural contexts: Brazilian immigrants in the Basque Country, and Basque immigrants in Brazil. Differences are expected in the dimensions of socio-cultural adjustment due to the time spent in the stay, the group, and also to cultural practices of the origin and host country. The study is transversal and retrospective. Results show that during the first year, difficulties are pronounced with a predominance of Interpersonal Relationships-related ones and subsequently, a higher importance of the dimension Social Distance Management, specifically among the Basque.

Collective Efficacy in Sports and Physical Activities: Perceived Emotional Synchrony and Shared Flow.

This cross-sectional study analyzes the relationship between collective efficacy and two psychosocial processes involved in collective sport-physical activities. It argues that in-group identification and fusion with the group will affect collective efficacy (CE). A sample of 276 university students answered different scales regarding their participation in collective physical and sport activities. Multiple-mediation analyses showed that shared flow and perceived emotional synchrony mediate the relationship between in-group identification and CE, whereas the relationship between identity fusion and CE was only mediated by perceived emotional synchrony. Results suggest that both psychosocial processes explain the positive effects of in-group identification and identity fusion with the group in collective efficacy. Specifically, the role of perceived emotional synchrony in explaining the positive effects of participation in collective sport-physical activities is underlined. In sum, this study highlights the utility of collective actions and social identities to explain the psychosocial processes related to collective efficacy in physical and sports activities. Finally, practical implications are discussed.

Relación entre el índice de consumo de pescado y carne y la adecuación y calidad de la dieta en mujeres jóvenes universitarias / Relationship between the ratio of fish to meat consumption and diet adequacy and quality in university young women

Introducción: En las poblaciones occidentales el consumo de pescado es menor que el de carnes y esto puede influir en la calidad de la dieta total. Objetivo: Comprobar si la relación entre el consumo de pescado y carne está vinculada con la adecuación y calidad de la dieta en un grupo de mujeres universitarias. Participantes y métodos: En este estudio participaron un total de 47 mujeres de la Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU) con una edad media fue de 19,6+/-1,2 años. La ingesta dietética se evaluó con un cuestionario de frecuencias de consumo validado. A partir de los datos cuantitativos de consumo se calculó la ingesta de energía y nutrientes, utilizando el programa CESNID. Se estimaron dos índices de calidad de la dieta: el índice pescado/ carne y el Índice de Alimentación Saludable para población española (IASE). El análisis estadístico se realizó con el programa SPSS versión 21.0. Resultados: El índice pescado/carne fue de 0,4 y la mayoría de las participantes (91,5%) consumían más carnes que pescado. Las universitarias que tenían mayores ingestas de pescado consumían más fruta y menos dulces. El índice pescado/carne se asoció positivamente con mayores puntuaciones en muchos de los componentes del IASE y con mayor adecuación en la ingesta de algunos nutrientes: proteínas, niacina, potasio, hierro, zinc, vitamina D, E, tiamina, riboflavina, piridoxina, vitamina B12 y C. Conclusión: Un mayor consumo de pescado que de carne está relacionado con un mejor perfil dietético en el consumo de ciertos alimentos y nutrientes, en la muestra estudiada (AU)

Introduction: In Western populations fish consumption is lower than meat consumption and this fact can influence on the total diet quality. Objective: Verify if the relationship between the ratio of fish to meat consumption and diet adequacy and quality in a group of women university students. Participants and methods: 47 women of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) took part in this study; the mean age was 19.6+/-1.2 years. Dietary intake was evaluated with a food frequency questionnaire validated. From quantitative data on food, energy and nutrients intake were estimated by CESNID software. Two diet quality indices were also calculated: the ratio of fish to meat consumption and the Healthy Eating Index for Spanish diet (HEISD). Statistical analyses were carried out using the SPSS 21.0 software package. Results: The ratio of fish to meat was 0.4 and the majority of the participants (91.5%) eaten more meat than fish. The university students with a high intake of fish were eating more fruit and less sweets. The ratio fish/ meat was associated positively with the scores of some components of the HEISD and with the intake of some nutrients: proteins, niacin, potassium, iron, zinc, vitamin D, E, thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, vitamin B12 and C. Conclusion: A higher consumption of fish than meat was associated with a better dietary profile in the consumption of some foods and nutrients, in the sample studied (AU)

Understanding the relationship between perceived development of the competition plan and sport performance: mediating effects of self-efficacy and state depression.

The effectiveness of competition plans on athletes' performance outcomes was assessed while accounting for the mediating influence of state depression and self-efficacy. Competition plans reflect an integrated and personalized plan that consists of a set of decision-making rules based on the principles of self-control and self-efficacy development that are tailored to the specific demands of an upcoming competition in a given sport and highly individualized to take into account the specific qualities of the athlete. The relationship between the development of a competition plan and athletes' evaluations of their competitive outcomes was of interest. 11 elite athletes participating in 104 competitions involving 7 different sports participated. Results support the beneficial effect of a well-developed competition plan in affecting athletes' perceived performance; the relationship was mediated by state depression and self-efficacy. Coaches and sport psychologists should devote increased attention to the development and refinement of athletes' precompetition performance plans while also considering participants' self-efficacy and mood characteristics.