Consumo de alimentos ultra procesados, sobrepeso y obesidad en estudiantes universitarios.

Abstract

Global food systems have experienced advances in food processing and technology with increased commercialization of food. The purpose of the present study is to determine the consumption of ultra-processed food in university students. This work is of cross-sectional, observational design and descriptive scope. The BMI and the frequency of consumption questionnaire of processed and ultra-processed food (FCA), according to the NOVA classification, were used for the analysis. Among the results, 71.05% of the population presented normal weight and 26.31% presented overweight and obesity. In the FCA the behavior regarding specific foods was observed, 47.40% have a significant consumption of canned tuna; regarding dairy products, mozzarella cheese is consumed in 31.6% with a frequency of 1 to 3 times per month; cereals presented a consumption of 36.8% in enriched pasta. In relation to the ultra-processed food, we observed in dairy products (47.4%), a consumption of ice cream from 1 to 3 times per month; it is striking to find high percentages in relation to the consumption of other food called "ready to eat" or "fast food" such as: hamburgers (55.3%), hot dogs (42.1%), pizzas (34.2%), and empanadas (39.5%), than chorizo (39.5%), and sausage (36.8%), of the group of sausages. In the classification of consumption level, 97.36% of university students presented a high consumption; despite the change in the consumption pattern, the influence on the body composition of the students is not yet observed.