Food consumption by college students

Objective: To assess food consumption by college students regarding the frequency and type of food eaten. Methods: Cross-sectional study with 203 students. The research instrument was a questionnaire with sociodemographic and academic life data, and the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). For the data analysis was used descriptive statistics, chi-square test of Pearson, Fisher exact, linear trend and prevalence ratio. Statistical significance of 5% was adopted. Results: Most participants were female, aged 20 to 24 years, enrolled between the 2nd and the 4th year of college, 52.2% of the students who did not eat fruit daily also did not eat vegetables daily (p = 0.01), there was positive association in the consumption of rice and beans with economic class, individuals in class C showed 1.7 times more likely to ingest this combination than class A (p = 0.00). Limitations occurred because this is a cross design study, not allowing to establish causal relationships; took place only at a single university in Fortaleza-CE; were not surveyed the intrinsic motivations of each individual to food consumption limited determining the dietary habits profile of college students. Conclusion: University students who do not consume fruits also tend to not eat vegetables. It is recommended to be implemented in universities nationwide intervention research aimed at bringing about changes in eating habits, seeking to improve the quality of life of undergraduate students from Brazil. DESCRIPTORS: Food consumption. Health promotion. Nursing in public health. Nursing students, nursing primary care.