Impacto del etiquetado nutricional en la decisión de compra de los estudiantes de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud de la Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil, en el 2024.

Abstract

Overweight and obesity are increasing worldwide, factors such as lifestyle and diet are crucial in their prevention. The use of nutritional labeling and traffic light helps inform consumers and reduce these numbers. The present research aims to determine the impact of nutritional labeling on purchasing decisions in students of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the Catholic University of Santiago de Guayaquil. The study is descriptive, quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional. A total of 352 students were surveyed, of which 67% were women and 33% men, with a majority in the 20-24 age group. The Careers of Medicine, and Nutrition and Dietetics had a greater participation, representing 32% and 31% of the sample surveyed. In the results when analyzing the frequency of use of nutritional labeling, it was found that, although 54% of students consider that nutritional labeling is important or very important, its regular use is limited. Personal preferences, interest in health and well-being were highlighted as key factors, especially among women. However, the students' ability to influence purchasing decisions is conditioned by the fact that 70.71% live with their parents, who make 49.72% of the purchasing decisions.