Eating behaviors associated with weight gain among university students worldwide and treatment interventions: A systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: Emerging adulthood has been described as a period of risk for body weight gain. Several studies have indicated that the positive or negative health behaviors established during this stage, tend to prevail the rest of life. However, there are discrepancies in published studies on weight change in freshmen and there are disagreements on weight gain predictors. The present study reviewed the literature with the aim of knowing the eating behaviors associated with weight gain in university students. Method: A systematic search was conducted in three databases according to the PRISMA method during the months of February to November 2020. Results: 20 articles were included in the review. The main behaviors associated with weight gain were the consumption of sugary drinks, alcohol consumption, low consumption of vegetables and fruits, frequent self-consumption, eating unhealthy and low levels of food regulation.

Keywords:

• Eating behavior
• weight gain
• college
• young adult

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of Mexico and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of University of Guadalajara.

Ethical statement

Ethics approval was not required for this research, as it is a review of existing literature, therefore original studies would have to have sought ethical approval.

Additional information

Funding

The study was carried out with the support of CONACYT grant number 763291. The funding source had no involvement in the study design, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in the writing of the report and in the decision to submit the article for publication.