Brief intervention on the consumption of fruits and vegetables and physical activity in university students

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that up to 2.7 million lives could be saved annually if enough fruits and vegetables were consumed. Regular physical activity has been shown to reduce the risk of various diseases and help with energy balance and weight control. For university students it is complex to follow healthy guidelines such as the consumption of fruits and vegetables and the realization of physical activity due to the lack of time to cook and academic commitments. Objective: To determine the nutritional status and physical activity of university students before and after an educational intervention with WHO recommendations. Materials and methods: A prospective longitudinal study in which 70 university students were evaluated. The intervention consisted of an individualized educational talk. The nutritional status was evaluated by means of a survey on the consumption of fruits and vegetables and anthropometric measurements and physical condition by recording the time of habitual physical activity per week and the Harvard step test. The data were analyzed using the statistical software XL-STAT version 2014.3.07. Results and discussion: The intervention had a positive effect on healthy lifestyle habits, increasing the percentage of compliance with the physical activity recommendations, 16% in men and 9% in women. In addition, the intake of fruits and vegetables increased by 14% and 12%, respectively. Conclusions: These improvements provide a basis for designing and implementing strategies that increase the percentage of adherence to healthy lifestyle habits through lowcost and easy-to-adopt interventions. (AU)