A brief educational intervention on the consumption of fruits and vegetables and physical activity improves healthy habits in university students

Abstract

Background The aim of this study was to determine the nutritional status and physical activity of 70 university students before and after an educational intervention consisting of World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations on fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity. Methods The nutritional diagnosis was carried out by measuring body composition using anthropometric measurements. A survey was also carried out on the consumption of fruit and vegetables and the time involved in regular physical activity per week. The physical condition of participants was evaluated using the Harvard step test. One year after the intervention, the participants were invited back for a second assessment using the same tools as previously.Results The results showed that the intervention had a positive effect on healthy lifestyle habits since they increased the percentage of compliance with the recommendations of physical activity, by 16% in men and 9% in women. In addition, the intake of fruits and vegetables increased by 14% and 12% respectively. Conclusions It was concluded that these improvements, although discrete and far from reaching the recommendations proposed by WHO, provide a basis for designing and implementing strategies that increase the percentage of adherence to healthy living habits through low-cost and easy to adopt interventions.