Dietary patterns and their influence on perceived physical condition among university students: evidence from a Chilean cohort
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v78.118212Keywords:
Dietary patterns, perceived physical condition, university students, ChileAbstract
Introduction: Healthy eating patterns, particularly high consumption of fruits and vegetables, are associated with better perceived physical condition and healthier lifestyles in young populations. However, university students often face academic stress and irregular habits that may compromise these behaviors. This study examined the association between a dietary patterns index and perceived physical condition in Chilean university students.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 307 students from the University of Atacama (Chile). Data were collected using a structured survey including demographics, dietary habits (15 items, 1–5 frequency scale), perceived physical condition (5 items, 1–4 Likert scale), and sleep duration. The dietary index corresponded to the mean of the 15 items, and perceived physical condition was calculated as the mean of five items. High perceived condition was defined as scores ≥ the sample median (2.8). Descriptive analyses and logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, and sleep were performed.
Results: Participants had a mean age of 21.3 years and 60% were men. Overall, 55.4% reported high perceived physical condition. Higher dietary index scores were associated with greater odds of high perceived condition in both univariate (OR=1.45, 95% CI 1.12–1.88) and adjusted models (OR=1.42, 95% CI 1.09–1.85). The correlation between diet and perceived condition was moderate (r=0.42, p<0.001).
Conclusions: Healthier dietary habits were modestly associated with perceived physical condition among Chilean university students. Due to the cross-sectional design and limited covariate adjustment, findings should be interpreted as exploratory and confirmed in longitudinal studies.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Maribel Parra-Saldías, Josivaldo De Souza Lima, Ximena Palma-Leal, Hugo Martínez-Cortés, Sebastián Delgado-Cortés, Valentina Guerra-Contreras, Noelia Astudillo-Castillo, Diego Oyarzun-Jerez, Andrés Godoy-Cumillaf, Isolda Vergara-Santiago
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