Lifestyle in Nursing Students: Physical Activity Level, Diet Quality, Body Composition, and Cardiovascular Risk...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Sports Science
• Cardiology

Background:

• University students experience lifestyle changes impacting health habits.
• Reduced physical activity during this stage increases cardiovascular disease risk.
• This study focuses on nursing students to assess lifestyle and cardiovascular risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• Describe physical activity, diet quality, and body composition in nursing students.
• Analyze cardiovascular risk using the ABSI-z index.
• Correlate lifestyle habits with body composition and cardiovascular risk markers.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 296 nursing students in Albacete, Spain.
• International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF) for physical activity assessment.
• Bioimpedance analysis for body composition, BMI, and ABSI-z scores.

Main Results:

• Active students showed significantly better body composition (higher fat-free and muscle mass) than sedentary students.
• High ABSI-z scores correlated with increased abdominal girth and visceral fat in women, indicating cardiovascular risk.
• Dietary habits were suboptimal, with low consumption of legumes and fish.

Conclusions:

• Regular physical activity is crucial for maintaining healthy body composition in university students.
• The ABSI-z index is a valuable tool for early detection of cardiovascular risk in this population.
• Interventions promoting physical activity and healthy diets are needed for university students.