Objective:

To assess the association between low intake of fruits and vegetables, smoking and harmful alcohol consumption with physical activity in each domain in university students from Bucaramanga, Colombia.

Methods:

Cross-sectional analytical study carried out with university students (n=385) from a private university of Bucaramanga. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analysis were performed using logistic regression models. The Noncommunicable Disease Risk Factor Surveillance from the World Health Organization was applied to collect data. Written informed consent was requested from the participants of the study.

Results:

It was found that 39.48% of participants were physically inactive, 52.21% had excesive episodic alcohol consumption, 16.88% smoked regularly, and 87.21% reported low consumption of fruits and vegetables. After adjusting gender, age and socioeconomic level, physical activity during leisure time was associated with low consumption of fruits and vegetables (OR: 0.48, IC 95%: 0.24, 0.96, p=0.040).

Conclusions:

Students who perform more physical activity during leisure time are less likely to have low consumption of fruits and vegetables. It is important to implement strategies that promote the acquisition of healthy habits in university students in order to reduce future risk of suffering noncommunicable diseases.

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