Risk eating behaviors and tobacco, alcohol and marijuana consumption by gender among chilean university students

Abstract

© 2015 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala. Abstract Health-Risk Behaviors has implications for broader aspects of the people. The aim of this study was to analyze the association between Risk Eating Behaviors (REB) and tobacco, alcohol and marijuana consumption by gender among Chilean university students. After obtaining informed consent, a cross-sectional analytical study, which included 1087 college freshmen, mean age 18.8 years was conducted. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey was online self-applied to evaluate the Health-Risk Behavior. The REB were higher among women, while alcohol and marijuana consumption in men. Regression analysis yielded a model that shows significant higher risk in women who reported Risk Eating Behaviors and those who not, in the half of the behaviors of tobacco, alcohol and marijuana. In men only one behavior was associated with Risk Eating Behaviors. In both genders the effect sizes were small. Those findings confirmed that in women the findings confirm previous studies but in men the size of the sample did not permit adequately observe the relation between eating risk behavior and consumption of tobacco, alcohol and marijuana.