Dietary practices according to the Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population and their associated factors among users of a university restaurant in Alagoas, Brazil

Objective To evaluate dietary practices according to the Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population and to identify factors associated with these practices among students attending a university restaurant in Maceió, Alagoas. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted from September 2023 to April 2024, in which socioeconomic, lifestyle, anthropometric, and dietary practice data were collected using a scale based on the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population. The dependent variable, dietary practices, was categorized as “adequate” or “inadequate.” Descriptive analyses, Pearson’s χ² test, and Poisson regression with robust variance were performed to estimate crude and adjusted prevalence ratios, with a significance level of p < 0.05. Results A total of 291 students participated in the study, most of whom were aged 18 to 29 years; the majority were female (56.0%), and 49.5% were quota students. Overall, 70.8% of the participants presented inadequate dietary practices. The mean dietary practices score was 37.6 points (± 8.9). The highest prevalence of inadequate practices ( n = 110; 37.8%) was observed among quota students. In the crude analysis, being a quota student was associated with inadequate dietary practices ( p = 0.039); however, this association lost statistical significance after adjustment. No variable showed a statistically significant association with the outcome. Conclusion Most university students presented inadequate dietary practices, highlighting the need for strategies to promote healthy eating aligned with the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population within the university context.