MeDi has been shown to be a healthy dietary pattern that may reduce risk related to NCD. The effect is larger if the pattern is combined with physical activity, and tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption are avoided. Promoting the MeDi as a healthy dietary pattern presents challenges which need the collaboration of all levels of society.

BackgroundFood habits are important to promote and maintain good health throughout life, and unhealthy diet is a modifiable and preventable risk factor. University students are a key group of adults among whom to promote healthy lifestyles. The aim of this study is to determine the factors associated with unhealthy diet in a sample of university students.MethodsAn electronic cross-sectional survey was conducted with university students (n=593) from inland Spain, during the 2016-2017 academic year. The survey collected information on the participants’ food habits using an annual food frequency questionnaire. We also collected socioeconomic and demographic data and lifestyle-related information. A multivariate logistic regression was used for analysis.ResultsThe multivariate logistic regression revealed that the factors associated with an unhealthy diet were: being male, being underweight compared to the reference category (normal weight), having a mother of low socioeconomic status, the family home not being in the university city and, finally, studying a non health-related courseConclusionAmong students of the University of Castilla-La Mancha, being male, being underweight, the family home not being in the university city, having a mother of low socioeconomic status, and, finally, not studying a health-related course are the factors associated with a lower quality diet. Following a healthy diet is key in reducing the health costs of non-communicable diseases, and ensuring an acceptable long-term quality of life in populations.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-018-6149-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Considering food habits as a modifiable risk factor, an early intervention on youth people could avoid future health and social costs. We aim to determine the level of compliance with the recommendations of the Mediterranean diet pyramid according to social determinants in university students and to analyse the association of these social determinants (and their interaction with gender) with different food group consumption. We used the records of an electronic cross-sectional survey on university students (n = 593) from inland Spain. The results show, generally, that university students do not fully comply with the recommendations and that gender is the social determinant with the greatest effect on differences in food group consumption. Women have a lower consumption of dairy products, olives, nuts and seeds, red meat, and processed meat, sweets, eggs, alcoholic drinks and fast food; and a higher consumption of fruit, compared with men. Socioeconomic status, geographic area, and whether students cook for themselves have a limited influence on differences in food group consumption, which is inconsistent with the literature. Policy makers should consider this gender gap if they wish to implement a policy based on healthy diet, considering that other social determinants are also important, and could interact with gender.

Introducción El consumo de ciertos alimentos y los hábitos saludables se relacionan con padecer o prevenir algunas enfermedades crónicas. Estos alimentos suelen estar recogidos en pirámides de alimentación, como las de la Sociedad Española de Nutrición Comunitaria. Una manera de analizar la calidad de la dieta es mediante índices que valoran la frecuencia de consumo de los diferentes alimentos. Objetivo Analizar la calidad de la dieta en la población española mayor de 65 años mediante el índice de alimentación saludable y determinar cómo afectan los factores sociodemográficos al resultado final de la misma. Diseño Se realizó un estudio transversal y descriptivo de la dieta de la población española mayor de 65 años en sus hogares a partir del índice de alimentación saludable, utilizando como información la Encuesta Europea de Salud en España de 2014. Mediante un análisis de regresión lineal múltiple se determinaron los factores socioeconómicos relacionados con la calidad de la dieta. Resultados El 89,6% de la población en estudio necesita cambios en la dieta, y tan solo un 8,2% sigue una dieta saludable. Padecer enfermedades crónicas, tener sobrepeso y realizar actividad física de forma ocasional se asocian con una mejor puntuación en el índice de alimentación saludable. Conclusión La mayor parte de la población de 65 o más años necesita realizar cambios en sus patrones alimentarios. Las personas con riesgos potenciales para la salud son las que cuidan más su alimentación. Estos resultados confirman la necesidad de promover pautas de alimentación saludable en la población sana.

Individuals’ lifestyles play an important role in healthcare costs. A large part of these costs is derived from hospitalizations. With the aim of determine the relationship between lifestyle and the likelihood of hospitalization and associate costs in older adults, this study used the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe. Generalized regression models for panel data were developed and adjusted hospitalization costs derived from the length of hospital stay were also estimated. The average adjusted cost of hospitalization was I$ 9901.50 and the analyses showed that performing weekly physical activity significantly reduces the probability of hospitalization (OR: 0.624) and its costs (I$ 2594.5 less per person per year than subjects who never performed physical activity). Muscle strength plays an important role in this relationship and eating habits are not of great significance. Furthermore, we found interesting differences in the frequency and costs of hospitalization between subjects by country.