Introduction:

Diet quality refers to the nutritional composition and balance of the consumed foods, which can influence health and well-being in the long term. This study aimed to evaluate the diet quality and nutritional status among students at a public university in Paraguay.

Materials and methods:

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among university students. Two 24-hour recalls were collected on non-consecutive days, using the multi-step methodology, to classify diet quality (very low, low, moderate, good) according to the Diet Quality Index (DQI). Anthropometric measurements (weight, height, waist circumference) and body composition were taken to determine the nutritional status. Descriptive statistics and statistical tests such as Chi2 and Fisher's exact test were used. The protocol was verified by the Research Directorate, UNA_FCM_DI N° 262/2021.

Results:

39 university students participated, of which 31 were females. 64,1% were under 25 years old and 21 (53,8%) were enrolled in health-related careers. It was observed that 64,1% of the students had poor or very poor diet quality, 33,3% had moderate quality and 2.6% a good quality. Additionally, 17 students were overweight (43,6%) and 19 were within the normal weight range (48,7%). It was highlighted that 68,2% of the students with no excess weight had a diet of poor or very poor quality.

Conclusion:

The university students evaluated in this study presented poor diet quality and imbalance in macronutrients intake. Despite this, the most frequent nutritional status was within the normal weight range. The importance of promoting interventions to improve diet quality and promote healthy habits in this population is highlighted.

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