INTRODUCTION

College students represent a group of young adults who are exposed to a number of changes in their environment as they enter college, a crucial period for the development of lifestyles and their future health¹. a crucial period for the development of lifestyles and their future health². The university context is characterized by new relationships, independence, and self-determination, especially in migrant students, added to the dedication to academic activities, which configure a lifestyle characterized by sedentary lifestyles derived from screen exposure time, permanence in classrooms, insufficient physical activity(PA) practice, irregular eating schedules and preference for ready meals or fast food³.

Lifestyle constitutes a general way of life, based on the interaction of living conditions and individual patterns of behavior related to health, influenced by socio-cultural factors; values, norms, attitudes, habits and behaviors that cover all areas of human beings⁴.

The lifestyles and eating habits of young students determined by the university environment and the dynamics of their academic responsibilities generate unhealthy practices that can cause alterations in their health and nutritional status characterized by the presence of overweight and obesity, greater presence of visceral fat and excessive percentage of body fat³. Nutrition and dietetics (N&D) students have as a protective factor the knowledge acquired in their training process; however, they are exposed to environmental factors that put them at risk of presenting in the short and medium term chronic noncommunicable diseases such as DM2⁵.

This research aimed to analyze lifestyles and diet related to nutritional status and risk of DM2 in young students of the N&D career in two Colombian universities. It could be useful to implement measures to control risk factors, prevent the development of DM2 and its complications from the early stages of adult life in health professionals.

METHODOLOGY

RESULTS

A total of 220 women participated in the study, 106 (48.0%) from U1 and 114 (52.0%) from U2, aged between 18 and 29 years, the mean was 21.7± 2.5 years; 54.3% of them lived in the middle socioeconomic stratum, followed by 42.5% in the low socioeconomic stratum. Eighty-five percent were in their fifth to ninth semester at the time of the study.

Mean BMI was 22.7+2.6 (14- 39); PC was on average 71.2+7.2 (57- 105); fat percentage was 29.3+4.4 (14- 41) and mean IAKS was 1.0+0.1 (0.7- 1.5).

According to the FINDRISC test, 91% of participants presented risk factors for DM2; there was no statistically significant difference in overall risk of developing DM2 by university (p>0.05). The mean total score was 4.1+2.9 and the DM2 risk classification was 68.2% low risk, 20.5% medium risk and 2.3% high risk.

According to the FINDRISC test, a family history of first and second degree with a diagnosis of DM1 or DM2, no daily consumption of VF, lack of daily PA practice for at least 30 minutes and excess weight (BMI>25) contributed more to the risk of DM2 (p<0.05).

Table 1 shows the relationship of the risk factors for DM2 according to the FINDRISC test, by university.

Table 2 presents the lifestyle and dietary variables and their relationship with nutritional status indicators such as BMI, WC, fat percentage and IAKS. In this investigation, excess weight according to BMI showed statistical significance with the risk of DM2 (p<0.001) and was related to the consumption of sugars and sweets, sodas or sugary soft drinks, fast foods and snacks.

CP, an indicator of visceral fat accumulation and impaired glucose metabolism, was identified as a risk factor in 10% in this study.¹⁶was identified as a risk factor in 10% in this study, and was related to the consumption of fast food and alcoholic beverages, without showing statistical significance with the risk of DM2 (p=0.50).

DISCUSSION

Studies such as the one conducted by Medina C et al.¹⁷have evidenced that N&D students engage in unhealthy practices that trigger excess weight, added to family history of diseases such as DM2; despite having knowledge about healthy lifestyles and nutrition for the prevention of chronic diseases. However, Solera-Sánchez and Gamero-Lluna¹⁸argue that health sciences students have healthier habits compared to those trained in other disciplines, and Flórez-Escobar et al.¹found that N&D students in Colombia carry out healthy practices for the different dimensions of lifestyle, except for PA.

This study identified the presence of one or more risk factors for the development of DM2, with a lower level of risk than the findings of Al-Shudifat AE et al.¹⁹in Jordanian university women with 5.2% at moderate or high risk and slightly elevated 26.7% according to the FINDRISC test, a finding similar to the study by Aris A et al.²⁰The study found 5.9% of Malaysian youths at high risk and 23.8% at moderate risk; Algadheeb et al.²¹found 1.2% medical students in India at high risk and 55% at medium risk; similar to 1.5% and 12.0% at medium or high risk found by Nnamudi et al. in young Nigerians²².

The statistically significant relationship between a history of first- and second-degree relatives with a diagnosis of DM1 or DM2 and the risk of developing the disease was similar to that observed by Pertseva N et al.²³in 37.0% of the Ukrainian population and in 72% in Jordanian women reported by Al-Shudifat AE et al.¹⁹.

Overweight and obesity according to BMI, one of the main risk factors for DM2, coincides with the presence of excess weight in women between 18 and 64 years of age reported in the last National Survey of Food and Nutrition Situation in Colombia, obesity 22.4% and overweight 37.2%.¹⁰lower figures than in this study were found by Al-Shudifat AE et al.¹⁹in Jordan (14.6%), similar figures were observed by Tokaç E et al.(21.0%) in Ankara and higher prevalences were identified by Ruano et al.⁵in Ecuador (25.5%), Tran DM⁴in the USA (56.4%), Antwi J et al.²⁴(36.4%), Pineda K et al.²⁵(25.88%), which requires an in-depth study of the risk factors in each context and the health knowledge of young people.

The prevalence of excess weight according to BMI and its statistical significance with the risk of DM2, is similar to that observed by Pertseva et al.²³Pineda²⁵identified association of excess weight in students with fast food consumption, no daily consumption of VF, alcohol intake and insufficient time dedicated to PA. The relationship of alcohol consumption with overweight coincides with other studies in university students: Parra-Soto et al.²⁶in Latin Americans, Booranasuksakul U et al.²⁷in Thais and Pertseva et al.²³in Ukrainians (72.8%).

Regarding WC, other studies have found a higher prevalence and statistical significance of WC greater than 80 cm: 28.4% in Jordan, and 37.1% in Ukrainian students.¹⁹and 37.1% in Ukrainian students²³Antwi, J et al.²⁴identified a WC of 81.1+15.8.

The lack of PA practice in this study was higher than in Jordanian youths (44.6%)¹⁹although it was not related to excess weight, intensity showed statistical significance with IAKS; different studies have evidenced sedentary lifestyle as one of the determinants of overweight and obesity in young people; Legetic B et al.²⁸affirms that the risk of DM2 is reduced with the practice of PA due to its effect on the maintenance of body weight and reduction of adiposity; Zheng Y.²⁹found beneficial effect of exercise related to insulin sensitivity, glycemic control and the relation with excess weight (p<0.050)²⁶Flórez-Escobar et al.¹identified that Colombian N&D students, despite having healthy lifestyles, do not practice PA; Kobayashi S et al.³⁰observed that 67.3% of Japanese N&D students practice mild PA; likewise, 51.4% of Ukrainian youth do not practice PA daily.²³.

In our study, the absence of daily VF consumption was found to be higher than that observed in students from Jordan (42.4%)¹⁹and Ukraine (40%)²³The low VF intake is a modifiable factor for DM2 risk, although it is not considered as a predictive indicator of DM2, according to Durán et al.³¹according to Durán et al.³²fiber has a protective effect for the development of DM2, making it useful for defining diet-related prevention actions.

Unhealthy dietary practices related to changes in weight and body composition are frequent in young university students; this was recorded by Maza et al.³³in a review of the literature; in Peru, consumption of these products increased from 13.3% in first-year medical students to 18.7% in the sixth year of medical school.³⁴. In young Colombian N&D students, daily consumption of snacks and soft drinks was found in 10.0%, of packaged products 2 to 3 times per week in 29.0% and 26.0% for soft drinks.³⁵and Flórez et al. showed 61.2% of occasional consumption of fast foods, fried foods, or sweets and 58% of sodas or sugary drinks. In Ukrainian students the daily consumption of fast foods was 2.1%, once a week 35.0% and 62.9% consumed less frequently.²³.

The results of this study reaffirm the evidence of risk factors and protective factors for the development of DM2 in NYD students, despite the fact that the percentage of high risk is lower than that found in young people from other disciplines and older population, it reaffirms the relationship of lifestyles and diet with excess weight and the risk of developing DM2.

Limitations

The food consumption frequency study was qualitative and self-reported.

CONCLUSIONS

The nutritional knowledge and age of the population participating in this study are protective factors for lifestyles and diet, a situation that is evidenced by the higher frequency of students with low risk and some without risk of developing DM2; however, they are not sufficient for its prevention, and the presence of risk factors related to overweight and obesity according to BMI, the percentage of excess fat and cardiovascular risk according to waist circumference was observed.

The intake of snacks, sweets and sugars, soft drinks and fast food showed statistical significance with body weight according to BMI and abdominal obesity. Higher frequency of alcoholic beverage consumption was related to higher waist circumference and lower frequency to higher IAKS.

The early identification of the risk of DM2 in the young population is relevant for its prevention; it allows the study and intervention of the determinants of the university environment for the promotion of healthy lifestyles and nutrition.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To the Escuela de Nutrición y Dietética of the Universidad de Antioquia for coordinating the study.