Associations between Chronotype, Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Sexual Opinion among University Students.

Pedro Manuel Rodríguez-Muñoz, Juan Manuel Carmona-Torres, Cristina Rivera-Picón, Fabio Fabbian, Roberto Manfredini, María Aurora Rodríguez-Borrego, Pablo Jesús López-Soto

Journal: Nutrients 2021;12(6):1900

PMID: 32604818

Abstract

A person's chronotype determines different habits, among which are eating and physical activity. Furthermore, at the university stage, social and organisational factors have a direct effect on students' daily attitudes and habits. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet is linked to better sleep quality and less social jet lag, but association with chronotype or sexual opinion remains unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the associations between chronotype, adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, and sexual opinion. A multicentre observational study enrolled 457 students, from the University of Castilla-La Mancha and the University of Cordoba. Sociodemographic data and adherence to the Mediterranean diet, chronotype, physical activity, and sexual opinion were collected with validated questionnaires. The study period was from December 2017 to January 2018. Our results reported that students with an evening chronotype (E-type), with evening preferences, had a lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet and showed a higher tendency towards erotophilia. E-type students reported a significantly lower intake of fruits, vegetables, pulses, cereals, and olive oil, and higher breakfast skipping. Therefore, among the measures to promote healthy habits (obesity prevention, sexual education, socialisation, etc.), chronotype and an analysis of the impact of the schedules established by the universities must be considered.

Address: Department of Nursing, Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba, 14005 Córdoba, Spain.; Faculty of Health Sciences, Nursing. Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca, 37002 Salamanca, Spain.; Facultad de Fisioterapia y Enfermería, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 45071 Toledo, Spain.; Faculty of Medicine, Surgery and Prevention, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.; Department of Nursing, Universidad de Córdoba, 14004 Córdoba, Spain.; Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía de Córdoba, 14004 Córdoba, Spain.
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