Katherine Denisse Suarez Gonzalez

Objetivo: Analizar, mediante Análisis de Componentes Principales (ACP), la estructura de factores de salud y socioeconómicos asociados al rendimiento académico en estudiantes universitarios de Nutrición y Dietética.Método: Estudio observacional, analítico y transversal (n=325). Se recolectaron variables de salud (antropometría, hábitos) y socioeconómicas (edad, nivel académico, entorno). Tras depuración, estandarización y pruebas de adecuación (KMO=0.803; Bartlett p<0.001), se aplicó ACP con rotación Varimax y se evaluó la asociación con el rendimiento mediante correlaciones y regresión logística.Resultados: El ACP extrajo tres componentes que explican el 78.09% de la varianza: PC1 (composición corporal), PC2 (características antropométricas) y PC3 (características demográficas: edad y nivel académico). Solo PC3 se asoció significativamente con el rendimiento (rPearson=0.192; rSpearman=0.218; p<0.001). En la regresión logística, PC3 fue el único predictor significativo (β=0.3679), con precisión global del 61.23%. PC1 y PC2 no aportaron explicación adicional. Se identificaron diferencias por sexo.Conclusiones: El desempeño académico se relaciona principalmente con factores demográficos (edad y avance curricular), mientras que los indicadores de salud corporal no muestran efectos directos. Los resultados apoyan intervenciones institucionales tempranas y diferenciadas, y un abordaje integral que incorpore determinantes sociales, además de ampliar futuras investigaciones con variables psicosociales y diseños longitudinales. assessed health (anthropometry, habits) and socioeconomic variables (age, academic level, context). After data cleaning, standardization, and adequacy tests (KMO=0.803; Bartlett p<0.001), PCA with Varimax rotation was applied. Associations with performance were tested using correlations and logistic regression.Results: PCA yielded three components explaining 78.09% of total variance: PC1 (body composition), PC2 (basic anthropometrics), and PC3 (demographic characteristics: age and academic level). Only PC3 was significantly associated with performance (Pearson r=0.192; Spearman r=0.218; p<0.001). In logistic regression, PC3 was the sole significant predictor (β=0.3679), with 61.23% overall accuracy. PC1 and PC2 did not add explanatory power. Sex-specific patterns were observed.Conclusions: Academic performance is primarily linked to demographic factors (age and curricular progression), whereas body-related health indicators show no direct effects. These findings support early, targeted institutional interventions and a multidimensional approach incorporating social determinants, and they underscore the need for future studies including psychosocial variables and longitudinal designs.

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) now dominate global diets, yet evidence on their impact in countries facing a double burden of malnutrition is sparse. Ecuador presents a unique case, having pioneered mandatory traffic-light nutritional labeling while confronting persistent child stunting and rising adult obesity. This scoping review maps the epidemiological evidence and policy effectiveness regarding UPF consumption and the risk of non-communicable disease in Ecuador. Following JBI and PRISMA-ScR guidelines, searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect for studies published between 2015 and 2025. Nine original studies met inclusion criteria. The synthesis reveals a consistent link between high UPF intake and adverse outcomes across the life course, including reduced linear growth in rural children and increased overweight in school-aged populations. Individual-level associations showed moderate-to-large effect sizes, whereas front-of-package labeling showed little to no immediate impact on purchasing behavior. The pervasive presence of additives in over 84% of packaged goods indicates high structural exposure. Isolated policy measures are insufficient to counteract Ecuador's double burden of malnutrition. Strategies must evolve into comprehensive packages that combine fiscal measures, marketing curbs, and food environment reforms.

El objetivo de esta investigación fue caracterizar el consumo de alimentos ultraprocesados y describir el estado nutricional en adolescentes de 14 a 18 años de la Unidad Educativa “Velasco Ibarra” del cantón Milagro, Ecuador. Se realizó un estudio cuantitativo, descriptivo y transversal con 25 adolescentes seleccionados mediante muestreo no probabilístico por conveniencia. La información se obtuvo mediante un cuestionario estructurado de 16 ítems y valoración antropométrica con peso, talla e índice de masa corporal. El 68 % presentó estado nutricional clasificado como normal y el 32 % exceso de peso (24 % sobrepeso y 8 % obesidad). El 44 % reportó consumir alimentos ultraprocesados una vez por semana, el 32 % entre dos y tres veces por semana y el 12 % diariamente; además, el 36 % indicó sustituir comidas principales por estos productos algunas veces o con mayor frecuencia. Como componente complementario se desarrolló un caso clínico mediante el Proceso de Atención Nutricional, en el que se identificaron alteraciones del perfil lipídico pese a un IMC adecuado. Dado el tamaño muestral y que el análisis poblacional fue exclusivamente descriptivo, los resultados no permiten establecer asociación estadística ni causalidad entre el consumo de ultraprocesados y el estado nutricional. Los hallazgos apoyan la necesidad de fortalecer la educación nutricional y de realizar evaluaciones integrales en adolescentes.

Esta investigación observacional, descriptivo-correlacional y de corte transversal se llevó a cabo en la Universidad Estatal de Milagro (Milagro, Ecuador) entre abril y julio de 2026. El objetivo fue determinar la relación entre los hábitos alimentarios inadecuados y la composición corporal en estudiantes de sexto semestre de la carrera de Nutrición y Dietética. Participaron 40 estudiantes, en quienes se recolectaron variables sociodemográficas y de composición corporal. Los hábitos alimentarios se evaluaron mediante un cuestionario estructurado de 24 ítems; su consistencia interna fue buena (alfa de Cronbach = 0,875). Se observaron correlaciones positivas y estadísticamente significativas entre el puntaje de hábitos alimentarios inadecuados y la masa grasa corporal (r = 0,416; p = 0,008), el porcentaje de grasa corporal (r = 0,317; p = 0,047) y la relación cintura-cadera (r = 0,326; p = 0,040). Asimismo, se reportaron asociaciones significativas con obesidad abdominal (p = 0,028) y riesgo de complicaciones metabólicas (p = 0,031), mientras que no se identificó una asociación significativa con el índice de masa corporal. Los hallazgos sugieren que, en esta muestra, una mayor frecuencia de hábitos alimentarios inadecuados se relacionó con indicadores menos favorables de adiposidad y riesgo cardiometabólico. Se recomienda interpretar los resultados considerando el tamaño muestral, el muestreo por conveniencia y el carácter transversal del estudio.

Introduction: Social determinants play a significant role in students’ health, nutritional status, and academic performance, particularly in socioeconomically vulnerable university populations. Objective: To analyze the relationship between social determinants, nutritional status, and academic performance among Ecuadorian university students using a multivariate approach. Methods: A quantitative, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted with 325 university students. Descriptive analyses, inferential tests (ANOVA and post hoc tests), and exploratory multivariate techniques, including Multiple Correspondence Analysis and cluster analysis, were applied using Python on the Google Colab platform. Results: Most students presented normal weight (72.3%), while 27.7% were classified as overweight or obese. No significant differences in academic performance were found according to nutritional status; however, affiliation with health services was significantly associated with academic performance (p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis identified three distinct student profiles based on social, nutritional, and academic characteristics. Conclusions: Academic performance is not directly explained by nutritional status but rather by the interaction of structural social determinants. Comprehensive institutional strategies addressing nutrition, social support, and health equity are needed to improve academic outcomes in higher education.

Introduction: Metabolic health in university students has gained relevance due to hidden risk factors not detected by traditional metrics. Objective: To determine the influence of relative muscle mass and visceral fat on metabolic risk in college students. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 325 students aged 18 to 35. Body composition was assessed by bioimpedance, and multivariate logistic regression was performed adjusting for age, sex, body fat percentage, and visceral fat. Results: 68.31% of participants showed high metabolic risk. Visceral fat was the strongest predictor (OR = 3.18; p < 0.001). Male sex was protective (OR = 0.25; p = 0.031), while relative muscle mass was not statistically significant. Discussion: These findings align with recent literature emphasizing visceral fat as a superior marker to BMI or subcutaneous fat. The lack of significance for muscle mass may reflect the predominant effect of visceral adiposity. Conclusions: Visceral fat is a key determinant of metabolic risk in university students. Early detection and interventions focusing on visceral fat reduction and muscle strengthening are recommended.

Cardiovascular and metabolic diseases (CMDs) are the leading causes of global mortality. While university students represent a critical demographic for early intervention, conventional univariate screenings often fail to capture the synergistic interactions between lipid abnormalities and adiposity. This study aimed to identify and characterize multidimensional cardiometabolic phenotypes in Ecuadorian university students using multivariate exploratory techniques. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 365 students from the Coastal (n = 193) and Andean (n = 172) regions of Ecuador. Lipid profiles (TC, HDL-c, LDL-c, triglycerides), body composition (body fat percentage, visceral fat via bioelectrical impedance), and blood pressure were analyzed. Data were processed using HJ-Biplot analysis for dimensional reduction and a hybrid clustering approach (Hierarchical and K-means) for population segmentation. The HJ-Biplot explained 72.3% of the total variance. The first principal component (PC1, 49.2%) was associated with morphometric size (weight, height), while the second (PC2, 23.1%) was dominated by adiposity markers (body fat and visceral fat). Three distinct clusters were identified: Cluster 0 (27.1%, predominantly female) represented a low-risk profile with the highest HDL-c (57.5 mg/dL); Cluster 1 (26.6%, majority male) exhibited an intermediate-risk profile with the highest triglycerides (117.9 mg/dL); and Cluster 2 (46.3%, almost exclusively male and Andean-dominant) presented the highest risk, characterized by the lowest HDL-c levels (41 mg/dL) and older age. In conclusion, cardiometabolic risk is heterogeneously distributed across sex and geographical regions. Multivariate profiling allows for the detection of early metabolic vulnerability that remains undetected in traditional screenings. These findings support the implementation of targeted public health strategies tailored to the specific phenotypic and regional characteristics of the university population in Ecuador.

Introduction: This study systematically reviewed 21 scientific articles published between 2002 and 2024 to examine the role of traditional and complementary medicine (TCM) in promoting health, healthy aging, and overall well-being among older adults with chronic diseases.Methods: A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining bibliometric and qualitative analyses to identify patterns of use, regional approaches, cultural dimensions, and proposals for the institutional integration of TCM.Results: The findings revealed that the adoption of TCM was influenced not only by the perceived efficacy of interventions but also by sociocultural, spiritual, and structural factors. TCM emerged as a significant alternative in primary care, particularly in contexts with limited access to biomedical services, supporting autonomy, community resilience, and health equity. The review also identified potential benefits of integrating TCM into healthcare systems, alongside risks related to the lack of regulation, especially for older adults with polypharmacy. Additionally, regulatory gaps, institutional resistance, and insufficient cultural competency training among healthcare professionals were observed.Conclusions: The study proposed the development of intercultural care models to recognize the value of traditional knowledge and ensure its ethical and safe incorporation into healthcare systems. Future research should evaluate the clinical and sociocultural impacts of TCM, explore the role of healthcare personnel in its implementation, and promote participatory policy-making to strengthen inclusive and comprehensive care for older adults.or unstructured, no longer than 250 words; written in the past tense and in the third person singular.

Introduction: The nutritional habits and sociodemographic background of university students are critical factors influencing their body composition and long-term health. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between diet quality, sociodemographic factors, and body structure among students from the State University of Milagro (UNEMI) and the Higher Polytechnic School of Chimborazo (ESPOCH) in Ecuador.Methods: A cross-sectional design was applied to a sample of 404 students selected through stratified random sampling. Data were collected via structured interviews, 24-hour dietary recall, and food frequency questionnaires, along with anthropometric and clinical evaluations. Statistical analyses included one-way ANOVA and Kruskal–Wallis tests to assess associations, stratified by sex.Results: Only 2% of students maintained a nutrient-rich diet, while over 78% had nutrient-poor dietary patterns. Among women, higher fat intake was significantly associated with elevated triglyceride levels (p = 0.010), and nutrient-rich diets correlated with lower systolic blood pressure (p = 0.000). Among men, high-fat diets were linked to increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.007 and p = 0.004, respectively). Sociodemographic analysis revealed that men born in the Highland region had significantly higher body fat percentage and hip circumference than those from the Coastal region. A trend in muscle mass percentage according to paternal origin was also observed.Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of addressing both dietary behaviors and sociodemographic contexts in university health promotion. Nutritional education tailored to regional and cultural backgrounds, alongside strategies to promote physical activity, could support healthier body composition and reduce cardiovascular risks in young adults.

Body composition is associated with multiple factors. The main objective of this study is to determine the association between diet and sociodemographic factors on the body structure and composition of university students at a public university in Ecuador. This cross-sectional study allowed for the collection of detailed body composition and dietary data from 204 students (41.7% men and 58.3% women, with an average age of 23.3 ± 4.4 years). The study was conducted using validated questionnaires and bioimpedance techniques. Statistical analysis included ANOVA tests, complemented by a PCA-Biplot, to examine the relationships between study variables. Statistical analysis revealed that men’s birthplace had a significant impact on several body measurements, such as hip circumference and weight, but no significant differences were observed in body structure and composition based on nutrient intake. Furthermore, larger upper-arm circumference in women was correlated with higher fat intake. The results of the multivariate analysis indicated a differential influence of dietary components on body composition. The study highlights the need for nutritional intervention strategies and educational programs that consider the diversity of students’ backgrounds to promote healthy habits and mitigate the negative effects of eating habits and irregular physical activity patterns on their health and body composition.