Descriptive and Correlative Analysis of Anthropometric, Physiological and Nutritional Characteristics in University Students from Morelia, Mexico

Abstract

Introduction: Non-communicable diseases (NCD) are the leading cause of mortality in the world. Among NCD varieties, obesity is a public health problem around the world, but it is especially important in poor or developing countries. The aim of this study is to explore the body composition, physical activity and food diversity in university students from Morelia, Mexico. Method: A cross sectional study was conducted with 422 students of university level. We used bioimpedance and anthropometry to determine the body composition of the students. The physical activity was analyzed by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), while the food diversity was assessed by the guidelines for measuring household and individual dietary diversity of the Food and Agriculture Organization. Results: A matrix of 16 anthropometric variables was reduced to three principal components with a variance accumulate of 88.04% to women and 78.9% to men. We were able to separate groups of women based on anthropometric variables. In men, the percentage of muscle is the variable that most influences the separation of groups. The physical activity ranges from moderate to high; on average it was 5028.4 and 4449.4 MET-minutes/week for men and women respectively. A high food diversity and equitability of consumption was found, the socioeconomic level of the students does not allow inferring food insecurity. In men we found more associated variables than in women and we found no relationship with dietary diversity. We found statistically significant relationships between chronological age and metabolic age in both sexes, but we did not find a relationship between actual weight and ideal weight. Conclusion: In conclusion, we describe the body composition, anthropometry, physical activity and food diversity of university students.