Risk factors of overweight/obesity-related lifestyles in university students: Results from the EHU12/24 study

This paper investigates the prevalence and interaction of overweight/obesity-related lifestyles (specifically, examining whether subjects meet the recommended criteria), in a representative sample of university students. This study is part of the project EHU12/24, an observational cross-sectional study, designed to assess the prevalence of excess body fat (BF) and major risk of developing overweight/obesity, according to a standardised protocol. In a cohort of 603 students, aged between 18 and 28 years, of the University of the Basque Country, information about meal patterns, diet quality, physical activity, sitting time, sleeping time, toxic habits and anthropometric measurements were collected. Sampling took place from February 2014 to May 2017. Binary logistic regression models adjusted for the covariates were utilised to test the association between lifestyles and risk of excess adiposity. The prevalence of overweight/obesity, according to BF percentage, was 14·4 %. The variables analysed related to meal pattern were associated with diet quality, and less healthy food habits were associated with other less health-related behaviours. Among men, moderate/low physical activity, breakfast skipping, non-adequate breakfast duration, number of eating occasions and eating breakfast alone/depending on the occasion were associated with excess BF, while among women, low MedDietScore, moderate/high alcohol consumption, non-adequate sleep duration, eating breakfast and lunch alone/depending on the occasion. Results suggest that certain unhealthy lifestyle behaviours coexist, interact with one another and increase the risk of overweight/obesity in this population. Sex-specific differences in risk factors of obesity have implications for interventions for primary prevention of obesity within this environment.