European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2003) 57, Suppl 1, S90–S93

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ORIGINAL COMMUNICATION
Influence of the desire to lose weight on food habits,
and knowledge of the characteristics of a balanced
diet, in a group of Madrid university students
B Navia1*, RM Ortega1, AM Requejo1, MC Mena1, JM Perea1 and AM López-Sobaler1

1
Departamento de Nutrición, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the desire to lose weight in a group of university students, and to analyse the
influence of this desire on declared food habits. The degree of knowledge on what constitutes a balanced diet was also
determined.
Design: Cross-sectional population survey.
Subjects: The study subjects were 234 university students (48 males and 186 females) aged 22.371.5 y. The weight and height
of each were recorded. All subjects were questioned on their desire to lose weight, habitual food intake frequencies, and about
what they considered to constitute a balanced diet.
Results: Approximately half the population (47.9%), both male (47.8%) and female (47.9%), expressed a desire to lose weight,
even though the percentage of overweight students was low (11.1% overall, although much greater among male students
[39.6%] than female students [3.8]). The body mass index (BMI) of those who wanted to lose weight was greater than that
of those who did not. Nonetheless, the majority of subjects (especially females) showed BMIs within the normal range
(18–25 kg/m2). Among those who wished to lose weight, the consumption of sweet foods was lower F although these subjects
believed they ought to consume even less. It was also thought necessary that egg consumption be reduced, although no
differences were recorded in declared consumption between those who wished to lose weight and those who did not.
Conclusions: The results show that there is great concern over body weight, although no great differences were seen in the food
habits and nutrition knowledge of those who wished to lose weight and those who did not.
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2003) 57, Suppl 1, S90–S93. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601807

Keywords: concern over body weight; university students; knowledge; balanced diet; food habits; declared intake

Introduction could condition nutritional status (Appleton & Conner,

Concern about nutrition has grown appreciably in recent
years, although the level of knowledge about nutrition has
not increased by the same degree (Zemel et al, 1993). Body
weight is the main concern of most people, and especially
among female populations, who tend to follow conducts
aimed at controlling body weight more commonly than do
male populations (Neumark-Sztainer et al, 1999).
This concern over body weight and the actual weight of
individuals, is closely related to certain food habits that
*Correspondence: B Navia Lombán, Departamento de Nutrición, Facultad
de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
E-mail: bnavialo@farm.ucm.es
Guarantor: B Navia Lombán
Contributors: BN, RMO and AMR have been involved in the study
design and MCM, JMP and AMLS contributed to the analysis of the
data, and revision of the paper.
2001). The aim of this study is to deepen our knowledge in
these areas.
Materials and methods
Subjects
The study subjects were 234 students, aged 20–30 y, attend-
ing Madrid’s Universidad Complutense, who were enrolled
in at least one nutrition/dietetics course but who had not yet
begun these classes.
Questionnaire
The students completed a questionnaire in which they
recorded their age, weight and height and responded either
‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the question ‘Would you like to lose weight?’

The same questionnaire also asked subjects for information
on their food intake frequencies (in times/day, times/week or
times/month), and about what they considered normal
intakes, with respect to cereals (bread, rice, pasta), pulses,
fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, milk products, fats and oils,
sweets and alcoholic drinks.
Recommended food intake frequencies were taken as those
established by different bodies (US Department of Agricul-
ture, 1992; Nutrition Reviews, 1992), bearing in mind
modifications for the Spanish population (Ortega & Requejo,
1998).
Statistical analysis
Means and s.d. are shown for data and the response rate.
Differences with respect to gender and the desire to lose
weight were calculated using two-way ANOVA. Significance
was set at Po0.05.
Results
Some 47.9% of the students expressed a desire to lose weight,
even though only 11.1% had BMIs that indicated they were
overweight (BMIZ25 kg/m2). The percentage of overweight
male students (BMIZ25 kg/m2; 39.6%) was much greater
than that of female students (3.8%). Low body weight
(BMIo18.5 kg/m2) was much more common among female
students than among male students (11.3% compared to
2.1%). Even so, the same percentage of male and female
subjects expressed a desire to lose weight (47.8 and 47.9%
respectively).
Both the male and female students who wanted to lose
weight had greater BMIs than those who had no such desire
(27.074.0 kg/m2 compared to 22.471.9 kg/m2, Po0.001 in
Influence of the desire to lose weight
B Navia et al
S91
males, and 21.971.9 kg/m2 compared to 19.271.2 kg/m2,
Po0.001 in women). However, in the group that wished to
lose weight, 30.4% of male and 92.1% of female students had
BMIs between 18.5 and 25 kg/m2; that is, even though they
had normal BMIs, they still wanted to lose weight.
Those who wished to lose weight declared a lower
consumption of sweet foods than those who did not; they
also thought they should eat even less of this type of food
(Tables 1 and 2). They also believed that eating fewer eggs
was a good idea (Table 2). The difference between normal
consumption and that which was believed more correct was
similar in both groups (ie, those who did/did not wish to lose
weight). No differences were found between these groups
with respect to habitual food intake and that officially
regarded as the minimum advisable (Table 3).
Discussion
Studies indicate that body weight is one of the areas of
nutrition that most worries young people (Ortega et al,
1997). This concern is greater among those who are
overweight/obese, and especially among women (Sherwood
et al, 2000). Compared to men, women usually follow diets
more frequently (George & Johnson, 2001; Skeie & Klepp,
2002) and have a lower desired body weight (Anderson et al,
2003). Further, they are more concerned about slimming and
more motivated to lose weight (Wardle & Johnson, 2002).
Independent of their current weight they frequently seek to
reduce it (Requejo et al, 1997). However, those who are
concerned about their weight are not always those who are
most knowledgeable about nutrition (Wong & Huang, 1999).
Although adult women generally want to lose weight
more commonly than men (Timperio et al, 2000), such
concerns are ever less sex-related, especially in young people

Table 1 Declared habitual intake frequencies (times/week) with respect to the desire to lose weight (Mean7s.d.)

Subjects who wanted to lose weight Subjects who did not want to lose weight

Males Females Males Females

Foods n=23 n=89 n=25 n=97

Cereals 14.377.2 14.777.5 15.978.2 15.977.7

Pulses 1.670.9 1.571.1 1.770.9 2.272.8
Cereals+pulses 15.977.4 16.277.7 17.678.6 18.078.7
Fruita 7.174.4 10.277.4 7.776.4 10.176.4
Vegetablesa 7.675.3 9.477.3 5.273.7 8.775.2
Meata 5.071.7 4.071.7 5.374.1 4.671.9
Fish 3.072.0 3.373.8 2.571.7 3.171.7
Eggsa 3.073.0 2.471.1 3.775.3 2.571.1
Meat+fish+eggs 11.074.9 9.774.8 11.578.3 10.273.1
Milk products 15.076.8 17.978.1 17.5710.3 17.677.5
Fats and oilsa 5.474.8 7.575.4 4.274.5 7.775.1
Sweet foodsb 2.572.6 4.474.3 5.174.5 5.375.2
Alcoholic drinks 1.371.3 1.171.2 0.971.2 1.171.7

a,b
(Po0.05) significant difference with respect to asex and bthe desire to lose weight (using two-way ANOVA in which the influence of both variables was taken into
account).

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 Influence of the desire to lose weight
B Navia et al
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Table 2 Food intake frequencies considered correct for proper nutrition (times/week) with respect to desire to lose weight (Mean7s.d.).

Subjects who wanted to lose weight Subjects who did not want to lose weight

Males Females Males Females

Foods n=23 n=89 n=25 n=97

Cerealsa 13.075.2 16.878.1 15.975.4 17.778.0

Pulses 2.771.1 2.972.0 2.871.1 3.874.8
Cereals+pulsesa 15.775.6 19.978.7 18.775.3 21.6710.6
Fruit 11.775.4 12.476.0 11.575.9 12.975.7
Vegetables 10.377.0 12.179.9 9.176.5 11.476.8
Meat 4.072.1 3.773.2 3.571.8 4.172.3
Fisha 3.971.7 4.273.3 2.871.1 4.372.7
Eggsb,c 2.571.3 2.671.9 4.274.3 2.871.7
Meat+fish+eggs 10.474.3 10.676.9 10.475.4 11.175.0
Milk products 17.477.2 18.977.2 19.277.9 21.378.2
Fats and oilsa 3.674.5 5.374.6 4.473.6 5.674.3
Sweet foodsa,d 0.971.1 2.672.7 2.072.1 2.972.4
Alcoholic drinks 0.871.6 1.372.1 1.172.3 1.372.0

a,b
(Po0.05) significant difference with respect to asex and bthe desire to lose weight (using two-way ANOVA in which the influence of both variables was taken into
account). c,d(Po0.1) almost significant difference with respect to csex and dthe desire to lose weight (using two-way ANOVA in which the influence of both variables
was taken into account).

Table 3 Differences in habitual food intake frequencies and the minimum recommended (times/day) with respect to desire to lose weight (Mean7s.d.)

Subjects who wanted to lose weight Subjects who did not want to lose weight

Males Females Males Females

Foods n=23 n=89 n=25 n=97

Cereals 3.771.1 3.771.1 3.571.2 3.471.2

Fruita 1.070.63 0.5571.1 0.8970.91 0.5670.91
Vegetablesa 1.970.75 1.771.0 2.370.54 1.870.70
Meat+fish+eggs 0.4570.70 0.6170.68 0.3671.2 0.5470.45
Milk products 0.1470.97 0.5671.2 0.4971.5 0.5171.1

a
(Po0.05) significant difference with respect to sex (using two-way ANOVA in which the influence of the desire to lose weight was also taken into account).

(Alexander & Tepper, 1995). In the present study, the desire
of both sexes to lose weight was very similar (47.9% in men
and 47.9% in women), although this might have been
because male subjects were more frequently overweight
(39.6% of males compared to 3.8% of females had a
BMIZ25 kg/m2).
In this population, only 11.1% of subjects had BMIs
indicative of excess body weight (BMIZ25 kg/m2), while
9.4% were underweight (BMIo18.5 kg/m2). Even so, 47.9%
of subjects declared a desire to lose weight. These subjects
had greater BMIs than those who did not wish to lose weight.
Among those who wanted to lose weight, 30.4% of male
subjects and 92.1% of female subjects had BMIs between
18.5 and 25 kg/m2, that is, even though they had normal
BMIs they still wanted to lose weight. In addition, all
female subjects who were overweight (BMIZ25 kg/m2)
expressed a desire to lose weight, while 12% of overweight
male subjects F despite their excess F declared no wish to
lose weight.
With respect to nutrition knowledge and the diet of the
subjects, those who wanted to lose weight declared a lower
intake of sweet foods than those who had no such wish
(Po0.05) (Table 1). In fact, they believed they ought to eat
even less of these foods (Po0.1) F the amount considered
‘correct’ being lower among men than among women
(Po0.05) (Table 2). This belief that fewer sweet foods should
be consumed to achieve a lower body weight is similar to
that recorded in other groups, with male subjects who
wanted to lose weight once again believing in larger
numbers that sweet consumption should be reduced
(Nowak, 1998).
Those who wanted to lose weight also thought egg intake
should be reduced (Table 2). This might be due to the fact
that it is generally believed that to reduce fat intake
(frequently associated with being overweight F Lee & Birch,
2002), it is a good idea to reduce egg consumption (Capps
et al, 2002). However, when comparing actual food intake
with the minimum recommended, no differences were

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition


found between those who wanted or did not want to lose
weight. This shows that their food habits were, in fact, quite
similar (Table 3).
These findings confirm the concern in our society about
body weight (Requejo et al, 1997; Thompson & Sargent,
2000) even from a young age (Adams et al, 2000), and mainly
among those with greater BMIs (Wong & Huang, 1999).
Further, there appears to be a general lack of knowledge
about what constitutes a balanced diet (Ortega et al, 2000),
both among those who wish to lose weight and those who
do not. These results reveal the need for better nutrition
education from infancy (Croll et al, 2001).
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