[Eating habits in physical therapy students]

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Public Health
• Physical Therapy Education

Background:

• Understanding the dietary and physical activity patterns of future healthcare professionals is crucial for public health.
• Physical therapy students are future educators who can influence patient and general population health behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the eating and exercising habits of undergraduate Physical Therapy students.
• To raise awareness among these future health professionals about promoting adequate nutrition in patients and the public.

Main Methods:

• A dietary and physical activity questionnaire was administered to 131 undergraduate Physical Therapy students at the University of Valladolid in Soria, Spain.
• The questionnaire covered a seven-day period to capture recent eating and exercise behaviors.

Main Results:

• A high percentage of students followed recommendations for meat, fish, dairy intake, and exercise.
• Suboptimal intake was observed for pasta, bread, cereals, vegetables, fruits, legumes, and olive oil.
• Fast food consumption averaged once weekly, exceeding recommended monthly intakes.

Conclusions:

• Formative programs are necessary to equip Physical Therapy students with skills to promote healthy diets.
• Improving students' nutritional knowledge can help prevent diet-related diseases and disseminate health information.
• These future professionals can play a key role in public health nutrition initiatives.