Surveys of food deserts and adherence to a Mediterranean dietamong university students / Encuestas de Desiertos Alimentarios y Adhesión a la dieta mediterránea en estudiantes eniversitarios

ABSTRACT

Objective: The objective of this study was to determineand describe the presence of institutional food deserts basedon access to healthy food via a level of adherence to aMediterranean diet in higher education Metropolitan Area institutions in Valle de Aburrá, Colombia.Materials and methods: The Food Deserts Survey -EDA and the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Test -KIDMED was administered to 419 university students.Results and Discussion: Results evidenced that participants had an average adherence (58.5%) to a Mediterranean diet, indicating that university students need to improve theirdietary pattern to adapt it to a Mediterranean model.Regarding the EDA, most reported that the food they consumed was nutritious (69.0%), fresh (77.3%) and healthy(61.3%). They stated they usually ate breakfast (74.7%),lunch (44.2%) and dinner (85.0%) at home during the week,and usually bought and consumed food in supermarkets andtraditional stores (73.3%).Conclusion: The study concluded that regardless of gender, participants need to improve their dietary pattern to adapt it to a Mediterranean model, which could indicate a hidden presence of food deserts.(AU)