Comparative Study of Habits in Scholar Students before and During His University Studies in Spain
Author(s): Iglesias MT, Cuesta E
Evidence suggests that in most Western countries young people adopt lifestyles that affect their health negatively, raising in this way the risk of the premature appearance of chronic illnesses. Objective: is to compare the habits of scholar and university students in Madrid, Spain. Material and methods: longitudinal study with students from some universities and schools in Madrid, Spain. Participatin 1600 students of both sexes, pre-university and university level, agreed to participate in the study: 653 men (41.3%) and 940 women (58.7%). The students were classified into 2 age groups: ≤ 17 years old (scholar) and ≥ 18 years old (university). Results: The BMI, the physical activity and the negative habits in terms of consumption of food stuffs and alcohol were studied. Most of them are of normal weight (80%), and with regard to physical activity, the study found the scholar students to be the most active. Conclusion: Differences were found between the sexes, which finding should guide actions of intervention with relation to physical activity or habits, and so it seems to be fundamental to carry out programmes of nutritional and psychosocial intervention in adolescents and young people, to prevent and to reduce the consumption of alcohol.