Risk of eating disorders in Mexican university students.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the distribution of the risk of developing an eating disorder, other psychological variables, body mass index (BMI) and physical activity in Mexican university students. The second aim was to determine the association between the risk of developing an eating disorder and all variables by sex. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was carried out. SETTING: The Health Sciences Institute and the Agricultural Sciences Institute within the Autonomous University of Hidalgo State, Mexico. PARTICIPANTS: 395 university students (65 % women) aged 18 to 29. ANALYSIS: Descriptive, correlational and binary regression model. RESULTS: The risk of developing an eating disorder (moderate and high) was 37.3 % for women and 32.6 % for men. A logistic regression analysis of women showed that thin-ideal internalization (12.9 times), BMI (3.5 times) and inactivity (2.6 times) increased the risk of developing an eating disorder. In men, the drive for muscularity (7.5 times) and BMI (2.3 times) increased the risk. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The variables associated with the risk of developing an eating disorder differed by sex, except for BMI, which increased the risk in both sexes. Findings should be considered in the design of future interventions to prevent the risk of eating disorders and associated factors.

Efecto de un programa de educación nutricional y actividad física en profesores del Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud. Estudio piloto

RESUMEN El objetivo del presente trabajo consistió en evaluar el efecto de un programa de educación nutricional y actividad física, en los conocimientos de alimentación y nutrición, en la realización de actividad física moderada-vigorosa(AFMV), la frecuencia de consumo de frutas y verduras, así como en indicadores antropométricos en profesores mexicanos universitarios de un Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud. Para ello, se diseñó un estudio de campo cuasi-experimental de medidas repetidas (pre-test, post-test y seguimiento a 3 meses) en 48 adultos, divididos en grupo control (GC) y grupo intervenido (GI). Se aplicó un cuestionario sobre conocimientos básicos de alimentación y nutrición (CBAN-Conocimientos), junto con el cuestionario Internacional de Actividad Física (IPAQ, por sus siglas en inglés), y un cuestionario semi-cuantitativo de frecuencia de consumo de alimentos. A partir del peso y la talla, se calculó el índice de masa corporal (IMC), y se midió el porcentaje de grasa corporal (%GC) mediante bioimpedanciometría. Los hallazgos mostraron, en el GI, un incremento significativo de los CBAN-Conocimientos (p<0,001), la AFMV (p<0,001), de la frecuencia de consumo de frutas (p= 0,049) y verduras (p= 0,020) a lo largo del tiempo. El efecto del programa fue parcialmente alcanzado, debido a que los CBCAN-Conocimientos fue la única variable dependiente que alcanzó una diferencia estadísticamente significativa entre grupos. Para lograr un mayor efecto del programa se propone extender el tiempo de implementación. Urgen este tipo de programas para mejorar y mantener una buena salud en docentes durante todo el ciclo escolar.

ABSTRACT The objective of this research was to assess the effect of a nutritional education and physical activity pilot program, on food and nutrition knowledge, moderate vigorous physical activity (MVFA) performance, fruits and vegetables intake, as well as on anthropometric indicators among Mexican university professors of a Health Sciences Institute. A quasi-experimental study with repeated measures (pre-test, post-test and 3 months follow-up) was carried out in 48 adults, divided in control group (CG) and intervention group (IG). A food and nutrition basic knowledge (FNB-Knowledge) questionnaire was applied, together with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Weight and height were measured to calculate the body mass index (BMI); body fat percentage (BF%) was evaluated through bioimpedanciometry. A significant increased in FNB-Knowledge (p<0.001), MVFA (p<0.001), as well as frequency of fruits (p= 0.049) and vegetables p= 0.020) intake was observed in the IG over time. The program effect was partially achieved, as FNB-Knowledge was the only dependent variable that showed a statistically significant difference between groups. To acheive a higher program effect it is proposed to extend the implementation time. Such programs are urgently needed to improve and maintain good health among professors throughout scholar cycle.