A Mediterranean Dietary Pattern Is Associated with Greater Participation in Physical Activity and Better Health-Related Quality of Life among Students and Professors at the Melilla Campus (University of Granada)

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess Mediterranean diet (MD) scores (i.e., alignment with a MD pattern) among students and professors, in addition to assessing how adherence to the MD was associated with other lifestyle behaviors. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted with a sample of 127 university professors and 272 students of the Melilla Campus at the University of Granada (Spain). Students were more physically active than professors (mean difference = 1058 METs, p < 0.001) and reported lower negative affect (NA; mean difference = −1.70, p < 0.001) whereas professors reported nominally better perceived mental health. For the total sample, the physical health component (β = 0.03, p = 0.03) and physical activity (β = 0.0001, p = 0.01) were significantly associated with higher MD scores. Health behaviors, including MD scores and physical activity, were suboptimal among both students and professors. The results suggest that a dietary pattern reflective of the MD is positively associated with both physical and mental health outcomes among students and professors, though the direction of the associations remains to be clarified.