Qualidade de vida e atitudes alimentares de graduandos da área de Saúde de uma universidade pública em Uberaba-MG

Abstract

The matters related to the quality of life and feeding habits of undergraduates can contribute to the early identification of vulnerability signs of this population, especially for the Health Undergraduates, who will work directly with the prevention and promotion of Health and Quality of Life of the community. This paper has been done to evaluate the quality of life and feeding habits of undergraduates from the health courses of a Public University in UberabaMG. It was made through an observational and cross-sectional study with quantitative data at Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM), with undergraduate students health. A research instrument was used with three questionnaires, one sociodemographic and academic, WHOQOL-BREF and the Feeding habits Test (EAT-26) in order to collect data. Was used the Statistic Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 21.0 in Portuguese. The level of significance for the tests was p ≤ 0.05%. From a population of 1,996 undergraduates, 590 subjects were randomly randomized and participated in the study n.399. The results has showed that the Health Undergraduates were mostly single females, white-skinned, with nonemployment relationship, and without chronic diseases . All of them were from other cities, around half of them shared houses with other ones and the average age was of 22,37 years. The average of the scores concerning to EAT-26 were 15.12 and 24.1% presented scores equal to or greater than 21 points. Undergraduates living with their parents had feeding habits more adequate than undergraduates sharing houses with others, therefore, the first ones were less exposed to the risks of feeding disorders. Most of the subjects of the research selfevaluated their quality of life and their own health positively. Mean results greater than 60 scores were obtained in all aspects of quality of life; the Social one got the highest average and the Environmental one had lowest average. The undergraduates from other cities had their quality of life in the Physical and Social aspects impaired while those who were brown, black and yellow- skinned had their quality of life impaired in the Environmental aspects. Undergraduates in Nutrition presented feeding habits more inadequate compared to undergraduates in other courses in the health area, so the first ones were considered more exposed to the risk of feeding disorders. As age and academic terms go by, vulnerability to11 inadequate feeding habits increases, leading to frailty and as a result to the development of feeding disorders. The family income proportionally influenced the quality of life in the Physical and Social aspects, showing that the lower the income the lower the quality of life. Inadequate feeding habits had an inversely proportional influence on the quality of life of Health undergraduates, because the more vulnerable to the risk of feeding disorder, the lower the quality of life. The purpose of this study is to call the attention to a reflection about feeding habits and to the quality of life of Health undergraduates, since the early identification of inadequate feeding habits can contribute to the non-evolution of feeding disorders and consequently to a better quality of life.