Introduction

Students attending university are at a critical period for the development and consolidation of future lifestyles. The objective of this study was to know the eating habits, food preferences and culinary skills of first-year students on different degree courses at the University of Huelva.

Material and Method

Cross-sectional descriptive study in academic year 2015-2016 of a sample of 756 students. Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet was measured by the KIDMED questionnaire. The rest of the variables were measured by an ad hoc questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using the PSPP programme, calculating arithmetic means, standard deviations and percentages for the descriptive analysis, with Chi-square test and ANOVA for the relational analysis.

Results

20.4% of students have an optimal level of adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, compared to 65.3% % with an average level and 14.3% with low adherence. Favourite foods cited were chicken (62.2%), pasta (58.2%), pork (50.4%) and chips (45.9%). The types of food the students knew how to prepare included pasta (93.8%), egg and chips (90.2%), precooked pizza (88.7%), fruit juices (86.1%) and grilled meat (85.8%).

Conclusions

Huelva university students diet is very similar to that of other university populations studied. We found a preference for meat and foods rich in carbohydrates, to the detriment of fruit and vegetables. A lack of culinary skills was observed, which could explain the deterioration in eating habits; this is a pointer to future interventions.

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