Table 1_Diet quality and eating behaviors in Brazilian medical undergraduates: associations with quality of life, sleep, and physical activity.docx

BackgroundMedical students are exposed to behavioral risk factors, including unhealthy dietary practices, that may compromise health and wellbeing, particularly quality of life, sleep, and physical activity. We examined diet quality and eating practices, and their associations with these outcomes in Brazilian medical undergraduates.
MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, 105 students from a large public medical school completed validated assessments of diet quality, quality of life, sleep, and physical activity. Anthropometry and bioimpedance were obtained under standardized procedures. Group differences by diet quality categories were tested using parametric tests. Multivariable linear regression models adjusted for sex, age, and academic period were conducted. Effect sizes (η2, Cohen's d) and 95% CIs are reported. Significance: two-sided α = 0.05.
ResultsParticipants had a mean age of 22.2 ± 3.4 years (52.4% male, 44.8% female, 2.9% other/undeclared). Diet quality classified 31.4% with < 31 points, 37.1% with 31–41 points, and 31.4% with >41 points. Healthier diet profiles were associated with higher quality-of-life scores in Psychological (p = 0.012, η2 = 0.083), Social relationships (p = 0.006, η22 = 0.095), and Environment (p = 0.008, η2 = 0.091) domains. Sleep quality showed a marginal association (p = 0.050). Physical activity increased across diet strata (vigorous p = 0.003, η2 = 0.109; total p = 0.001, η2 = 0.121). Multivariable regression confirmed that associations with WHOQOL Psychological, Environment, IPAQ Vigorous, and IPAQ Total persisted after adjustment. No differences for DASS-21 or bioimpedance indices (all p ≥ 0.109).
ConclusionsHealthier dietary practices as diet quality, meal planning, and food choices — were associated with better quality of life, physical wellbeing, and higher physical activity. These findings may inform campus-level health promotion and student support strategies.