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Article

Alcohol Consumption by Italian and Spanish University Students in Relation to Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and to the Food Neophobia: A Pilot Study

by
Paola Aiello
1,2,
Ilaria Peluso
3,* and
Débora Villaño Valencia
4
1
Health Sciences PhD Program, Universidad Católica de Murcia UCAM, Campus de los Jerónimos n°135, Guadalupe, 30107 Murcia, Spain
2
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology “V. Erspamer”, La Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
3
Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Food and Nutrition, Via Ardeatina 546, 00178 Rome, Italy
4
“Nutrición, Estrés Oxidativo y Biodisponibilidad” Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Universidad Católica de Murcia UCAM, Campus de los Jerónimos n°135, Guadalupe, 30107 Murcia, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Healthcare 2022, 10(2), 393; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10020393
Submission received: 15 December 2021 / Revised: 11 February 2022 / Accepted: 13 February 2022 / Published: 18 February 2022

Abstract

This work aimed to relate alcohol consumption with adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) and with food neophobia (FN) among Italian and Spanish university students. Volunteers (n = 194, 108 Italian and 86 Spanish), recruited at the La Sapienza University of Rome and the Catholic University of Murcia, filled in standardized questionnaires to evaluate alcohol consumption (AUDIT), FN (FN Scale: FNS), and adherence to the MD (MDS-14, MED-55, QueMD). In addition to the previously reported QueMD sub-score (aMED), a sub-score for non-typical MD foods (ntMED, carbonated and/or sugar-sweetened beverages (soft drinks), butter, margarine, or cooking cream, and manufactured sweets, pastries, and cakes) was evaluated. Italian females had higher MED-55 and FNS scores, and a lower AUDIT score than Spaniards (p < 0.01). Students who stayed with their family (resident) were more adherent to MD than those who moved away from home. Resident Italians consumed less beer, hard liquors, and cocktails than Spaniards on Saturday nights (p < 0.01). There were negative correlations between AUDIT and QueMD (R squared: 0.137, p < 0.05), and AUDIT and ntMED (R squared: 0.201, p < 0.01) in Spaniards, however, there was no relationship between AUDIT and other MD scores. In conclusion, this pilot study suggests that non-typical MD foods and Saturday night consumptions, related to being far from home, have a great impact on alcohol consumption.
Keywords: alcohol; Mediterranean diet; university students; food neophobia; dietary habits; lifestyle alcohol; Mediterranean diet; university students; food neophobia; dietary habits; lifestyle

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MDPI and ACS Style

Aiello, P.; Peluso, I.; Villaño Valencia, D. Alcohol Consumption by Italian and Spanish University Students in Relation to Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and to the Food Neophobia: A Pilot Study. Healthcare 2022, 10, 393. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10020393

AMA Style

Aiello P, Peluso I, Villaño Valencia D. Alcohol Consumption by Italian and Spanish University Students in Relation to Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and to the Food Neophobia: A Pilot Study. Healthcare. 2022; 10(2):393. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10020393

Chicago/Turabian Style

Aiello, Paola, Ilaria Peluso, and Débora Villaño Valencia. 2022. "Alcohol Consumption by Italian and Spanish University Students in Relation to Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and to the Food Neophobia: A Pilot Study" Healthcare 10, no. 2: 393. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10020393

APA Style

Aiello, P., Peluso, I., & Villaño Valencia, D. (2022). Alcohol Consumption by Italian and Spanish University Students in Relation to Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and to the Food Neophobia: A Pilot Study. Healthcare, 10(2), 393. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10020393

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