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Comparative Study
. 2020 Jan 16:2020:2317929.
doi: 10.1155/2020/2317929. eCollection 2020.

A Multicenter Study Evaluating the Stages of Change in Food Consumption with Warning Labels among Chilean University Students

Samuel Durán Agüero  1 , Jacqueline Araneda  2 , Danay Ahumada  3 , Jaime Silva Rojas  4 , Rodrigo Bühring Bonacich  5 , Astrid Caichac  6 , Marcelo Fernández Salamanca  7 , Pía Villarroel  8 , Eloína Fernandez  8 , Viviana Pacheco  9 , Paola Aravena Martinovic  10 , Waleska Wilson  11 , Ana María Neira  12 , Claudia Encina  13 , Jessica Moya Tillería  1
Affiliations
Comparative Study

A Multicenter Study Evaluating the Stages of Change in Food Consumption with Warning Labels among Chilean University Students

Samuel Durán Agüero et al. Biomed Res Int. .

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the stage of change in food consumption with warning labels among Chilean university students.

Materials and methods: Cross-sectional study which applied surveys in universities from all over the country. Study included 4807 participants of 18 to 40 years of both sexes who were asked about the level of knowledge of the new food law and food consumption with warning signals, including questions regarding their willingness to behavior change according to Prochaska's transtheoretical model. To compare continuous variables, Student's t-test was used in the statistical package SPSS 22.0, and p <0.05 was considered a significant difference.

Results: Of the total number of respondents, 99.3% of the students indicated that they know about the food law, classifying foods with signals in the precontemplation stage. Compared by sex, we observed that women give greater importance to behavior change in all of foods (p <0.001). Underweight students give less importance to change in unhealthy foods, while obesity students give more importance but do not show more confidence in behavior change (p <0.05).

Conclusion: The university students show a low importance and confidence to make behavior change, aspects associated with sex and nutritional status. It is necessary to strengthen nutritional food education and not just talk about structural measures.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Warning labels for foods “HIGH IN” critical nutrients (clockwise starting from upper left: sugar, saturated fats, calories, and sodium).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Stage of change based on confidence and importance of changing consumption of particular foods.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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