Abstract:
The health status of young people has repercussions on the continuation of their studies and on their adult life. They were described as a population which is characterized by a high frequency of behavior said at risk. Few studies on this subject have been carried out in Algeria, and more specifically on the student population. The aim of this thesis is to describe the relationship between physical activity and the diet of Algerian students with their corpulence. An epidemiological survey was conducted at the University of Brothers Mentouri Constantine 1 in 2015 on a representative sample of 1061 students (63.9 % female), aged 23.3 ± 2.5 years. The data was collected using a survey form (general characteristics, physical activity questionnaire, physical activity journal, usual frequency of food consumption and 24-hours food recall). Anthropometric measurements and body composition were realised: weight, waist, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), brachial circumference, skin folds (adipomètre), fat mass and fat-free mass (impedancemetry). Systolic and diastolic arterial pressures were also measured. Epi-Info version 3.5.3 and STATA Version 11.0 software were used for data processing. The materiality threshold used was 0.05. Our results showed that the average body mass index (BMI) of the students was 22.4 ± 3.0 kg/m2 (86.9 % were overweight and 13.1 % obese). The sports students represented 26.4 %. Students who walked less than 30 minutes were 4 times more likely to be overweight with a significant difference of 95 % and those being seated longer than 4 hours was 2 times more. Sleep accounted for 36.5 % of the time of a typical day followed by non-sedentary activities (10.9 %). A significant and negative correlation was found between mean physical activity level (PAL=1.51 ± 0.1) and BMI, body fat percentage and WC. Students spent on average 2200.9 ± 404.4 kcal/day with a difference in favor of women (p=0.0030). The average total energy intake of the students was 1993.1 ± 599.6 kcal/day (732.9 kcal/day - 4318.4 kcal/day) with 26.1 % for fat, 13.9 % for protein and 60.0% for carbohydrates. The frequency of consumption of fatty and sugary products was predominant in obese subjects (p<0.05). Significant correlations were found between PAL and the frequency of consumption of fatty and sugary products; energy and nutritional intake; BMI, %FAT and WC. The more the contributions in energy and nutritional increased, the more the corpulence of the students increased. It appears from this study that there is a relationship between physical activity, diet, and algerian student body built. It is desirable to encourage this population to practise walking during their free time, the use of university sports facilities, consume more fruits and vegetables and have a better sleep. Sedentary solicitation must be minimized in daily activities. Information, prevention and promotion actions on the benefits of physical activity and healthy diet must be put in place at national level.
