Physical Activity and Dietary Habits in a University Population

Abstract

The present study aimed to characterize physical activity, body mass index (BMI) and dietary habits of students from Clinical Analysis and Public Health, Nursing, Radiology and Pharmacy courses at ERISA and students from Pharmaceutical Sciences at ULHT in Lisbon, in the 2010/2011 academic year. This epidemiological study was based on an investigation carried out using a sample of 134 students, stratified by course and curriculum year. Of the 134 students, 117 were female (87.3%) and 17 (12.7%) were male, and all were aged between 18 and 38 years. Regarding BMI, it was found that at ERISA most students were within the normal weight (76%), and the same was found for the ULHT students (87.5%). Regarding physical activity, most students (42.5%) undertake physical exercise one to three times a week. Their eating habits enabled them to maintain a healthy diet. This included eating soup several times per week and fruit, water (over 1 L) and milk on a daily basis. 51.5% of the respondents (69/134) stated that their most important meal was breakfast. These students were not frequent consumers of fried foods or "fast food". In conclusion, most of the students are aware of the importance of a balanced and varied diet and undertake physical exercise (58.9%)