Impact of gender, urbanization, and food preference on university students' body composition post-COVID-19
Introduction: The COVID-19 lockdown significantly altered university students' lifestyles, affecting their physical activity and dietary habits, which impacted their body composition. Objective: This study examined the influence of gender, urbanization, and food preferences on body compositi...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
FEADEF
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Retos: Nuevas Tendencias en Educación Física, Deportes y Recreación |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.revistaretos.org/index.php/retos/article/view/113972 |
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| Summary: | Introduction: The COVID-19 lockdown significantly altered university students' lifestyles, affecting their physical activity and dietary habits, which impacted their body composition.
Objective: This study examined the influence of gender, urbanization, and food preferences on body composition among university students, after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 410 students (235 males, 175 females) classified by urbanization (200 urban, 210 rural) and dietary habits (147 vegetarians, 263 non-vegetarians). Body composition parameters were measured using the MA601 Body Composition Analyzer.
Results: Males had higher intracellular water, extracellular water, protein, minerals, and lean mass, while females exhibited greater fat mass, body fat percentage, and subcutaneous fat. Rural students showed higher intracellular water, protein, lean mass, and basal metabolic rate, whereas urban students had higher fat mass and subcutaneous fat. Food preferences had minimal influence on most parameters. Muscle quality assessment revealed that males, rural students, and non-vegetarians had significantly higher grip strength.
Discussion: These findings align with previous research on gender and urbanization-related differences in body composition, though the limited effect of dietary preferences warrants further investigation. The study's cross-sectional nature and reliance on self-reported dietary data may have influenced results.
Conclusions: Post-COVID-19 lockdown, gender and urbanization significantly impacted students’ body composition, whereas food preferences had a lesser effect. Future studies should explore long-term lifestyle influences on body composition in diverse populations.
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| ISSN: | 1579-1726 1988-2041 |