Perceptions and Attitudes About Healthy and Sustainable Eating in University Health Students

Abstract

Introduction: Healthy feeding, which prevents diseases continues to be a topic of research to move towards the effective development of healthy practices, to allow populations to live better. Sustainable food is a new aspect, which recognizes the collective nature of food consumption for the health of the planet.

Objective: To identify perceptions and attitudes about healthy and sustainable feeding among young students of the School of Health Sciences in Santa Marta, Colombia, 2022.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was implemented with a population of 318 students, who voluntarily responded to the questionnaire designed by the researchers (α = 0.908) through a digital platform.

Results: The majority of participants were women (65.7%), with an average age of 20.3 years. 55% identified healthy foods and 53% partially perceived the risk of foods against non-communicable diseases. 22.7% recognized sustainable foods. The positive attitude towards reducing the risk of non-food-transmissible diseases was 77%. Attitudes toward healthy eating and reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases had significant differences by sex (p = 0.009; p < 0.001) and program (p = 0.008; p < 0.001, respectively). Perceptions and attitudes were positively correlated.

Conclusions: Perceptions about healthy feeding that prevents diseases were adequate, as were positive attitudes. There are gaps around sustainable nutrition, which must be raised to advance in a diet that is conscious of human and planetary health.