Condutas negativas à saúde em estudantes universitários brasileiros

Social and Racial Disparities in Food Consumption Among Brazilian College Students: a Nationwide Study

This study aims to assess the association between economic class, race/skin color, and food consumption among Brazilian college students. A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted with college students from all over Brazil. Demographic data, economic class, self-reported race/skin color, anthropometry, and food consumption markers from the Brazilian Food and Nutrition Surveillance System were collected. The final sample comprised 5843 participants with a mean age of 24.1 (SD: 6.3) years, 4292 (73.5%) were female, and 810 (13.9%) in the highest economic stratum. We observed a progressive decrease in the frequency of fresh fruits and vegetables consumption from higher to lower economic classes (p < 0.01 for both). Contrarily, there was a progressive increase in the frequency of consumption of beans from higher to lower economic classes (p < 0.01). The frequency consumption of vegetables was also associated with race/skin color (p < 0.01), being lower in brown (PR: 0.94; CI 95%: 0.90; 0.98), and black (PR: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.85; 0.98) individuals, compared to white individuals. Brown individuals showed higher frequency consumption of beans (PR: 1.10; 95% CI: 1.05; 1.15) than whites. When compared to individuals of white race/skin color, brown (PR: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.01; 1.13) and black (PR: 1.15; 95% CI: 1.07; 1.23) individuals showed higher frequency consumption of sweetened beverages. Economic class and race/skin color were independent factors associated with the food consumption of Brazilian college students.

Cardiovascular health in nursing and medical students

OBJECTIVE

To verify whether nursing and medical students take measures regarding their cardiovascular health and the associated risk factors.

METHOD

Cross-sectional study, online data collection with 413 students in February and March 2021, using specific and validated instruments. Kruskal-Wallis, chi-square and logistic regression were adopted for statistical analyses.

RESULTS

73.3% self-reported that they were healthy. We identified a higher risk for developing cardiovascular diseases in sedentary students (OR = 38.6, p < 0.001), with irregular adherence to physical activity (OR = 16.2, p < 0.001) and with a higher level of perceived stress (OR = 1.12, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Students who take action to promote cardiovascular health showed lower risk compared to those who did not. If students do not value their own health during the education process, this may interfere with their professional performance after graduation.

Association between Physical Activity and Sitting Time Related to Excess Body Weight in Brazilian University Students

High exposure to sedentary behavior and lower levels of physical activity can lead to excess body weight (EBW). The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of EBW and the direct association under the condition of sociodemographic, university, and behavioral moderating characteristics, between physical activity and sitting time related to EBW in Brazilian university students. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 1,110 university students from a federal public institution in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The outcome was the EBW (body mass index: ≥25.0 kg/m2) and the independent variables were physical activity (insufficiently active and active) and sitting time (<6 h/day; ≥6 h/day). Association analyses were estimated via odds ratio (OR) using binary logistic regression. The significance level was 5%. The prevalence of EBW was 27.8%. No direct association was observed between physical activity and time sitting related to EBW. However, insufficiently active university students were more likely to have EBW (OR = 1.91; 95% CI: 1.06-3.47) when they did not consume alcoholic beverages, and university students with a sitting time of ≥6 h/day had lower chances of having EBW (OR = 0.62; 95% CI: 0.40-0.95) when they had spent more time at university (3 years or more). It is concluded that the prevalence of EBW in university students was high and there was no direct association between physical activity and sitting time; however, alcohol consumption and university time moderated the association with higher and lower chances of occurrence of EBW in university students, respectively.

The relationship of dental students’ characteristics to social support, psychosocial factors, lifestyle, and quality of life

Objective

To examine the relationships between sociodemographic characteristics, student academic information, social support, sense of coherence, anxiety, lifestyle, and quality of life among dental students.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study among 233 dental students in Brazil. We captured data on sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics, social support through Social Support Appraisal, psychosocial factors (sense of coherence and anxiety based on SOC-13 and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 – anxiety subscale, respectively), lifestyle as per individual Lifestyle Profile and quality of life based on VERAS-Q. Data was analysed through Structural Equation Modelling.

Results:

Greater social support, higher sense of coherence, lower anxiety, better lifestyle directly predicted better quality of life. Male gender, city of origin did not differ from the city of the campus, higher social support and greater sense of coherence were indirectly linked with better quality of life via better lifestyle. Lower academic semester and higher social support indirectly predicted better quality of life via lower anxiety.

Conclusion:

Social support, sense of coherence, anxiety, and lifestyle were relevant factors directly associated with dental student’s quality of life. Indirect pathways were observed between gender, moved home to attend dental course, academic semester, social support, sense of coherence, and quality of life.

Cardiovascular risk factors in students at a public college institution in Brazil

Objective: To compare the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in university students from a Brazilian public higher education institution between three surveys. Methods: Cross-sectional surveys were conducted with 1,084, 1,085, and 1,041 university students in 2010, 2012, and 2014, respectively, from an institution located in Bahia, Brazil. Outcomes were cardiovascular risk factors: overweight, leisure-time physical activity for < 150 min per week, low consumption of fruits and vegetables, consumption of meat and chicken with fat, fried snacks, soft drinks or artificial juices, smoking, drinking alcohol abuse, and negative self-assessment of stress in life. The independent variable was the year of the survey.The measure of association was the Prevalence Ratio (PR). The significance level was 5%. Results: In all surveys, there was a higher prevalence of college students with insufficient leisure-time physical activity, low consumption of fruits and vegetables, consumption of fatty and savory meat, and negative self-assessment of stress. Overweight and consumption of chicken with fat increased over the years of the survey. Prevalence decreased in the last survey among college students concerning the consumption of fruits, vegetables, snacks, and artificial soft drinks or juices (PR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.52–0.84). Conclusions: There was an increase in overweight; however, there were also positive modifications in eating habits among college students.

Association of personal characteristics and cooking skills with vegetable consumption frequency among university students

Most university students are transitioning to adulthood, and tend to adopt unhealthy eating habits characterised by a low intake of fruits and vegetables. Few studies have specifically addressed the consumption of vegetables, which have a high content of minerals, fibre, and active compounds. The aim of this investigation was to assess vegetable consumption frequency among university students in a Brazilian capital and examine associations with individual characteristics and cooking skills. This crosssectional study used a online questionnaire to collect data. Cooking skills were evaluated in eight dimensions. Vegetable consumption was recorded in five frequency groups and then categorised into daily and non-daily consumption. Data were subjected to Pearson's chi-squared or analysis of variance followed by Bonferroni post hoc test. Associations between cooking skill dimensions and daily vegetable consumption were identified by crude and adjusted logistic regression analyses.Adjustment was performed for sex, age, paternal education, and overweight/obesity.Results are expressed as odds ratios (p < 0.05). Less than half of the respondents (N = 237; 45%) reported consuming vegetables daily. Higher level of paternal education, not being overweight or obese, and higher scores on seven cooking skill dimensions were positively associated with daily vegetable consumption. Given the scarcity of research on the topic, the findings of this study make a significant contribution to knowledge and may support public health strategies for promoting vegetable consumption among university students.

[Co-occurrence of risk factors to health among university students of a Brazilian tertiary education institution]

The co-occurrence of risk factors can lead to chronic noncommunicable diseases and even loss of life. The objectives of this study were to describe the prevalence and analyze sociodemographic characteristics linked to university life associated with the co-occurrence of risk factors among undergraduates. The study consisted of three cross-sectional surveys in 2010, 2012 and 2014 of undergraduates in Bahia, Brazil. The outcome of this study was the co-occurrence of two or more risk factors (lower levels of leisure-time physical activities, overweight/obesity, irregular consumption of fruits/vegetables and self-assessed lack of stress). The association among the variables was conducted by establishing the Prevalence Ratios. A total of 878, 879 and 877 undergraduates participated in the study in the years 2010, 2012 and 2014, respectively. In all three surveys, the prevalence of two or more risk factors was greater than 70%. The co-occurrence of two or more risk factors was associated with women, mature students, undergraduates from the health area and students with more years at university. The conclusion drawn was that the prevalence of two or more risk factors was high and that women were the group that presented higher prevalence of co-occurrence of risk factors in all surveys.

Sintomatologia Depressiva, Estresse e Ansiedade em Universitários

Resumo Os níveis de sintomatologia depressiva, estresse e ansiedade têm crescido em todo o mundo comprometendo a qualidade de vida e bem estar das pessoas das mais diferentes idades. Assim, o presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar os níveis desses sintomas em 410 estudantes (233 ingressantes e 177 concluintes) dos cursos de saúde de uma universidade pública federal do interior de Pernambuco, a fim de verificar se estar no início ou final do curso pode interferir em tais níveis. Foram utilizados os seguintes instrumentos: questionário sociodemográfico, IDATE, EBADEP, EPS-10 e SRQ-20 em aplicações coletivas em sala de aula. Os resultados apresentaram indícios de sofrimento mental (53,9%), prevalência de ansiedade (43,4% ansiedade-estado; 42% ansiedade-traço), níveis de estresse moderado (M = 20,68 ingressantes; M = 20,31 concluintes) e baixos índices de sintomatologia depressiva (0,6%). Não foi identificada diferença estatisticamente significativa quanto aos construtos em relação ao início e ao final de curso, demonstrando que o ambiente universitário parece não ser adoecedor, mas outras variáveis devem ser investigadas, pois podem estar relacionadas a essas características nesse período da vida.

Nursing students: medication use, psychoactive substances and health conditions

OBJECTIVE

to assess the use of nonprescription psychoactive medications and their associations with psychoactive substance use and health aspects among nursing students.

METHOD

a cross-sectional study conducted with 182 students at a nursing school in the city of Vale do Ribeira, Brazil. Sociodemographic information, screening for alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, information on physical and mental health and physical activity practices were assessed.

RESULTS

more than half of the students (79.2%) used psychoactive drugs without prescription, with a predominance of monthly consumption. Consumption of these drugs was found to be associated with alcohol use, binge drinking, smoking and illicit drug use.

CONCLUSION

the findings have implications for the implementation of health promotion strategies among nursing students, in view of lifestyle changes.

Lifestyle and risk behaviors for chronic noncommunicable diseases among healthcare undergraduates in Midwest, Brazil

This study aimed to assess the lifestyle of undergraduate university students, and to investigate the prevalence of risk behaviors for chronic noncommunicable diseases. This cross-sectional study took place in Brasilia, with 2.163 healthcare undergraduates. We used a self-administered questionnaire for demographic variables, social class, behavioral data, self-perception of health and self-reported diseases. Given a total of 2.163 students, 69.3% were female, 65.4% were 20-29 years, men smoked more cigarettes (p < 0.01) and used more alcohol than women. We found significant differences in the consumption of beans (p < 0.04) and full-fat milk (p < 0.01) between females and males. Women also had more sedentary lifestyles (p < 0.01) and showed higher prevalences of overweight (33.8%) and obesity (5.0%). Students who did not engage in physical activity were more morbidities, overweight (p = 0.03), consumed more soft drinks (p < 0.01) and meat with excess fat (p = 0.01). University students were found to have unhealthy lifestyles. There is an urgent need for both a formulation and implementation of public health policies to promote health and improve student quality of life (QoL).

Vegetable Consumption and Factors Associated with Increased Intake among College Students: A Scoping Review of the Last 10 Years

Vegetable consumption is a predictor for improved health outcomes, such as reduced obesity and likelihood of food-related noncommunicable diseases. Young adults are a key population, being in a transitional stage-of-life: Habits gained here are taken through the lifespan. This review establishes insight into the consumption of vegetables among young adults during their college/university years, and factors associated with increased consumption. Seventy-one papers were extracted, published between January 2009 and October 2018. Search terms related to consumption; vegetables; and college/university setting and sample. A diverse range of definitions, guidelines, and study approaches were observed. Findings identify that the majority of students do not consume World Health Organization recommendations. Being female was the most frequent predictor of higher intake of vegetables, and no consumption patterns were identified by countries. Living at family home; body mass index; happiness and stress level; perceived importance of healthy eating; socioeconomic level; breakfast consumption; stage of study; openness to new experiences; sleep pattern; nutrition knowledge; activity level; alcohol usage; and energy intake were identified as influential factors. Public policies and new strategies to encourage vegetable consumption among college students are indispensable, especially targeting subgroups with even lower intakes, such as males and those living outside family home.

[Leisure among university students in the healthcare area: a review of the literature]

This article set out to analyze studies on leisure activities among university students in the healthcare area. It conducted a search using the following key words: leisure and students, and their corresponding terms in Spanish and English in the Bireme database, which resulted in 32 articles at the end of the review. In the articles analyzed there was a predominance of the following leisure interests: sports, social, intellectual and artistic activities, with a greater number of articles presenting experiences in sports. It was also noted that the intake of alcohol in the leisure context is often mentioned by this population group. There was a predilection for physical exercised/sport during leisure time, compared to other leisure interests and little knowledge about any other possibilities for leisure. This article also discusses the need to develop strategies that promote leisure among these students, seeking to improve their quality of life. It is noteworthy that they are health professionals in the training phase and it is quite possible that their future orientations might be influenced by their personal practices.

Risk and protective factors for chronic diseases in adults: a population-based study

The article describes the relative frequency ok of risk and protective behaviors for chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in adults residing in Viçosa, Brazil. A cross-section-al population-based study including 1,226 adults living in the municipality. We used a structured questionnaire containing questions sociodemographic and behavioral The risk and protection factors evaluated were: smoking, physical activity, excessive consumption of alcohol and food consumption. The proportion of risk and protection factors was calculated in the total population, according to gender, education and socioeconomic status. The studied population has a high frequency of risk factors for NCDs, such as excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, habit of consuming whole milk, habit of eating meat with visible fat, regular consumption of soft drinks and 78.5% did not achieve the minimum recommendation for physical activity in leisure time. With regard to protective factors, 86.2% of the population reported regular consumption of fruits and vegetables, and 73%, of beans. It was found the highest frequency of risk factors in among males, in younger people and middle socioeconomic status. This population has an urgent need for public policy of municipal planning to change this current scenario.

Longitudinal Study on the Lifestyle and Health of University Students (ELESEU): design, methodological procedures, and preliminary results

Admission to a university may cause significant changes in the pattern of exposure to health risks. The aim of this paper is to describe the study design and methodological procedures adopted in the Longitudinal Study on the Lifestyle and Health of University Students (ELESEU). This study examines a dynamic cohort of full-time students at a public university in the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil. This research, which started in 2015, will have four years of follow-up and is scheduled to end in 2018. A self-administered questionnaire is applied, containing questions regarding demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, and information on health conditions and risk factors such as lifestyle, perceived stress, symptoms of depression, body image, risk behaviors for eating disorders, self-assessment of health and diet quality, and other issues related to nutrition and health. Anthropometric and blood pressure measurements are also recorded. Two 24-hour dietary recalls and cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose capillary measurements are collected in 50% of the students. In 2015, 495 participants (82.6% of the eligible students) were assessed in the baseline study. Of these, 348 (70.3%) were followed up in 2016. In 2016, 566 participants were included in the cohort (81% of the eligible students). This study will help to identify the factors that might influence changes in the nutritional, health, and metabolic status of young adults during college life.

Alcohol consumption and factors associated with binge drinking among female university students of health area

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the pattern of alcohol consumption and the prevalence and factors associated with binge drinking among university students of health-related courses in Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed of 865 female students from two universities in the Brazilian Northeast. The instruments used were the AUDIT and a questionnaire used to collect sociodemographic data. The chi-square test and logistic regression were used, with statistical significance set at p-value < 0.05. Results: Risky alcohol consumption was evidenced in 16.4%, while the prevalence of binge drinking was 48.0%. Binge drinking was strongly associated with drunk driving (OR = 12.24) and living in a conflicting family environment (OR = 6.33). Binge drinking was a constant in students who engaged in fights, those who had problems with the law and among smokers. Conclusion: The high prevalence of risky alcohol consumption, binge drinking and the association of these with risky behaviors in students serve to guide future public policies on prevention.

Food intake of university students

ABSTRACT This narrative literature review aimed to analyze the results of studies on the food intake of university students. A literature search was conducted in July 2014 and updated in July 2016 in the Scopus, MedLine/PubMed, and SciELO databases, using descriptors related to university students and food intake in English and Portuguese. Overall, 37 studies that analyzed university students’ food intake were included in this review, eight of which were conducted in Brazil. The results demonstrated that most university students have unhealthy eating behaviors, such as high intake of fast foods, snacks, sweets, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages, and low intake of fruits, vegetables, fish, whole grains, and legumes. Undergraduate students of health sciences, such as nursing, nutrition, and medicine, did not have healthier diets. University students’ food intake was characterized as unhealthy, regardless of undergraduate program or sex, especially among students who left the parents’ home and became responsible for their own food. Therefore, there is a need of developing public policies that promote healthy eating habits among students, such as interventions to change their eating habits and increase their access to healthy foods at the university environment.

Qualidade de vida de estudantes de fonoaudiologia

RESUMO Objetivo: comparar a qualidade de vida (QV) dos estudantes de Fonoaudiologia em diferentes períodos de graduação e identificar propostas para sua melhoria. Métodos: estudo transversal, exploratório e descritivo a partir de amostra por conveniência. Participaram 117 estudantes (segundo semestre de 2012), subdivididos pelo período de graduação: G1 (n=24) segundo, G2 (n=33) quarto, G3 (n=34) sexto e G4 (n=26) oitavo. Utilizou-se o instrumento WHOQOL-bref, acrescentando-se uma questão aberta: "Como a Coordenação do Curso de Fonoaudiologia poderia contribuir para a melhoria de sua qualidade de vida?". Utilizou-se o teste estatístico não paramétrico Kruskal Wallis, nível de significância de 5% (p<0.05). Calculou-se a frequência absoluta e relativa das respostas da questão aberta, categorizadas pelo conteúdo, e gerais. Resultados: predominou boa QV (53,84%) e satisfação com a saúde (49,57%). Não houve associação estatística significativa entre os grupos (p>0.05). A QV diminuiu em todos os domínios, do G2 ao G3, aumentando no G4. G3 foi pior. Obteve-se maior média no domínio relações sociais e menor, no meio ambiente. Verificou-se maior percentual (40%) na categoria "aumento da formação para cinco anos". Conclusão: não houve diferenças discrepantes da QV entre os períodos, sendo pior, o sexto. Relações sociais apresentou melhor domínio e o meio ambiente, o pior.