AUTHOR=Melguizo-Ibáñez Eduardo , González-Valero Gabriel , Badicu Georgian , Yagin Fatma Hilal , Alonso-Vargas José Manuel , Ardigò Luca Paolo , Puertas-Molero Pilar 

TITLE=Mediterranean diet adherence on self-concept and anxiety as a function of weekly physical activity: an explanatory model in higher education

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2023.1215359

DOI=10.3389/fnut.2023.1215359

ISSN=2296-861X

ABSTRACT=Scientific literature has now demonstrated the benefits of an active lifestyle on people's psychological health. Based on the above statement, the aim is to (a) Evaluate and adjust a structural equation model containing the variables anxiety, self-concept and the Mediterranean diet adherence and (b) To contrast the proposed theoretical model by studying the differences between the variables according to the level of weekly physical activity in a sample of 558 university students. A non-experimental, exploratory, crosssectional investigation has been proposed.. Instruments such as the PREDIMED Questionnaire, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Form 5 Self-Concept Questionnaire were used to collect data. Results show that students showing low adherence to the Mediterranean diet evidenced higher levels of anxiety (M=0.95) than those showing a high degree of adherence (M=0.75). It is also observed that a high degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet reports higher scores in the different dimensions of self-concept compared to young people with a low degree of adherence. In conclusion, it is affirmed that young people who show a high degree of adherence to this dietary pattern show lower levels of anxiety and greater recognition of the different areas of self-concept.