[Trajectory of changes in dietary habits of students from a Brazilian public university]

The scope of this study was to evaluate possible differences in dietary trajectories of students according to their attendance at a University Restaurant (UR) and the basis for their admission to the university. It was an experiment conducted with undergraduate students (n=1,131) from a Brazilian public university. In 2011 and 2013, questionnaires identified and completed in person were applied assessing the regular consumption of foods that were markers of healthy or unhealthy diet, partaking of lunch, dinner and replacement of lunch and/or dinner with a snack. Changes in regular food practices were examined by the individual trajectory of each student versus the studied practices obtained by combining the responses from the questionnaires. The analysis of the association between UR attendance and trajectory was carried out using multiple logistic regression models. An association was observed (95%CI non-overlapping) with greater UR attendance and a higher chance of a positive trajectory for dinner and lunch, and consumption of beans, vegetables, raw vegetables fruit, cookies, packaged salty snacks, hamburgers and candies, and a lower chance of a negative trajectory for beans, raw vegetables, and fried snacks. The implementation of the UR promoted a significant improvement in the diet of conscientious students.