El rol de los ambientes alimentarios en los hábitos de alimentación en una comunidad educativa universitaria privada

Food environments have an important influence on people’s eating patterns, particularly in those contexts in which they remain on a daily basis, such as educational contexts. This study aimed to characterize the eating habits of students and workers of a private university in the city of Cali, Colombia, and to understand their perception of the institution’s food environments. The study was a mixed-method with a convergent parallel design; in the quantitative component, a survey was carried out on eating habits and practices, and aspects of the food environment. A total of 4240 people from the university community (3252 students and 988 workers) participated in the survey. In the qualitative component, group interviews were conducted, inquiring about the perception of food environments (food supply, variety, prices, quality, quantity, places). The results show a moderate consumption of fruits and vegetables, a higher than expected consumption of ultra-processed foods and beverages, as well as the recognition of physical, political, economic and social aspects of the food environment that condition food choices, affecting the consumption of healthy foods and promoting the consumption of unhealthy foods. Recommendations for university institutions to understand the role of food environments in the eating habits of the educational community are discussed.