Abstract:

Training in good eating habits is an excellent instrument for preventing illnesses and promoting health. When starting their university studies, many young people become independent and are, for the first time, responsible for their own food. Due to a lack of knowledge and practice, they usually choose pre-cooked dishes or fast food, which may entail a deficit of nutrients and excess energy, increasing the risk of overweightedness and obesity, which are related to various chronic illnesses. Furthermore, this is a population group exposed to the development of eating disorders due to the canons of beauty present in our society.

In order to meet the lack of training among university students to follow a healthy diet, in May 2014, the course “Nutritional Education for the University student” was held, with 2 ECTS credits recognized by the University of Granada. The course syllabus covered basic knowledge of food, nutrition, buying food, preserving, cooking, disorders in diet conduct and food frauds. The 50 hour-long training was a semi-attendance course, with an attendance part given with interactive workshops and another on-line part using the SWAD platform (Teaching Support Web System of the University of Granada).A total of 34 university students took part and completed the course, 13 male aged 22.8+ 2.8, and 21 female students aged 23.9+ 4.1). The students filled in an evaluation test, before and after the course, answering a questionnaire on satisfaction, and they signed an informed consent document. Statistical analysis was conducted with the SPSS 20.0 programme, and a level of statistical significance was set at 0.05%.

Although 67.6% of the participants noted having prior knowledge in nutrition, at the end of this course, 97.1% indicated that they had acquired new knowledge. Despite the fact that at the outset, 64.7% considered having a healthy diet, 91.3% noted having some incorrect habit. After the course, 100% of the participants showed their willingness to change some of their habits and would recommend the course to relatives or friends. It should be noted that there are statistically significant differences, before and after the intervention in the item “Do you feel able to detect food frauds?”, with 61.8% responding affirmatively before, and 100% after (p=0.01). The same occurred with the item “Do you feel able to detect disorders in eating conduct?”, with 67.6% responding affirmatively before, and 97.1% after (p=0.01). In the satisfaction questionnaire, the course was given an overall 8.7 +0.9 out of 10 points. Meeting the objectives of the course was valued at 9.0 +1.1; as to if the methodology allowed for active participation, this was given 9.4 +0.9; usefulness at professional level was valued at 8.1 + 2.3, and at personal level, 8.5 +2.0.

In conclusion, nutritional education is essential for implementing and maintaining healthy eating habits among university students, this training being welcomed when it is presented in the form of a semi-attendance course at the university itself. The fact that the classes are interactive motivates the students to take more part and to be more receptive to receiving information. Likewise, the inclusion of educational games helps the theoretical contents to be assimilated better and the classes to be more interesting. For these reasons, we consider that this educational methodology is advisable in developing training courses for university students.

Keywords:

Young people, Nutrition, Educational methodology.