Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and its association with sustainable dietary behaviors, sociodemographic factors, and lifestyle: a cross-sectional study in US University students.

BACKGROUND: Promoting healthy and sustainable diets is increasingly important and the Mediterranean Diet (MD) has been recognized as an appropriate example that can be adapted to different countries. Considering that the college years are the time when US young adults are most likely to adopt unhealthy eating habits, the present study assessed adherence to the MD and the sustainability of dietary behaviors in a nationally representative sample of US university students, aiming to identify crucial levers for improving their eating behaviors. METHODS: MD adherence and the adoption of healthy and sustainable dietary patterns were assessed through the KIDMED and the Sustainable-HEalthy-Diet (SHED Index questionnaires, respectively, administered through an online survey that also included sociodemographic and behavioral questions. Non-parametric and logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: A sample of 1485 participants (median (IQR) age 21.0 (19.0-22.0); 59% women) correctly completed the survey. A medium adherence to the MD was the most prevalent (47%). According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, the likelihood of being more compliant with the MD increased when meeting physical activity recommendations, having a high SHED Index score, having the willingness to purchase and eat healthy and sustainable dishes, eating ultra-processed plant-based meat alternatives foods daily, and regularly attending the university canteen. CONCLUSIONS: Encouraging dietary patterns rich in plant-based foods and with a moderate intake of animal products is crucial to increasing the adoption of healthy and sustainable diets, and university dining services represent a suitable setting to build a supportive environment that educates students on human and planetary health.

The influence of sex and self-control on the efficacy of nudges in lowering the energy content of food during a fast food order.

An experiment aimed at reducing calorie content of a food order was performed by introducing interventions at the fast food ordering screen on a tablet computer. Modifications included a virtual order assistant, a color-coded system and highlighting low-calorie choices. Participants of the study were 401 university students. Before starting an order, participants were asked to indicate their calorie goal. Our results show that the order assistant is the only intervention that leads to significantly fewer calories in the fast food order. The effect is due to women ordering fewer high-calorie dishes. Men, in contrast, are unresponsive to changes in the choice context regarding calories ordered. Results indicate that the level of self-control moderates the impact of the feature highlighting choices so that higher levels of self-control lead to lower calorie intake for both sexes. This research highlights the importance of gender and self-control for designing choice environments aimed at decreasing calorie intake.