Confinement due to COVID-19 has brought important changes in people’s lives as well as in their eating and resting habits. In this study we aimed at exploring the eating habits and sleep quality of the adult population of Ecuador during the mandatory confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a cross-sectional study, which used an online survey that included questions about eating habits and sleeping habits in adults (n = 9522) between 18–69 years old. The Pittsburg sleep quality questionnaire validated for the Hispanic population was used, and questions about dietary habits. The statistical test Chi-square statistical test was used to analyze the data. The results show that sleep quality differs according to sex, being worse in women, both in all components of sleep quality and in the total score (p < 0.001). Women had greater changes in the habitual consumption of food compared to men (24.24% vs. 22.53%), and people between 18 and 40 years of age decreased their food consumption in relation to people >40 years (24.06% vs. 17.73%). Our results indicate that mandatory confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador has generated changes in the eating habits and sleep quality in the adult population sampled, and these changes are more noticeable in women and young adults. These changes offer an important alert for the health system and further, advice for the implementation of future public health policies.

Obesity is defined by an excess of fat mass, however, there are other anthropometric indicators that can be useful for the diagnosis of overweight or obesity; Objetive. To determine the diagnostic accuracy of the body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and body shape index (ABSI) for the diagnosis of overweight or obesity in an adult population of Ecuador. Materials and methods. An observational cross-sectional study was carried out in which 253 subjects aged between 20 and 60 years participated. Weight, height, waist circumference and percentage body fat (PBF) were measured. The PBF was correlated with BMI, WC and ABSI and the sensitivity and specificity of these indicators were established for the diagnosis of overweight or obesity with ROC curves. Results. The PBF was lower in men than in women (30.09 vs 41.87), ABSI and CC were higher in men than in women (0.079 vs 0.075) and (99.76 vs 91.25) respectively. A strong positive correlation (≥0.75) was found between % body fat and BMI and WC. On the ROC curve, the area under the highest curve is observed for BMI (0.949), while the lowest area is observed for ABSI (0.395). Conclusion. The BMI is the indicator with the highest diagnostic precision of overweight or obesity. ABSI would not be a useful indicator in the diagnosis of overweight or obesity.

Introducción: Se conoce que una dieta que cubre las necesidades diarias de proteínas recomendadas se asocia con un mayor porcentaje de masa libre de grasa entre adultos jóvenes. Objetivo: Determinar la relación entre la ingesta proteica y la composición corporal en adultos jóvenes que acuden a consulta externa de un Centro de Salud de la ciudad de Guaranda-Ecuador. Metodología: Estudio de diseño no experimental, de tipo transversal. Participaron 93 sujetos con edades entre 18 y 60 años. Se tomó peso, talla, se midió la composición corporal con bioimpedancia y se aplicó un recordatorio de 24 horas para medir la ingesta proteica. Se usó ANOVA y t-student para identificar diferencias entre grupos. Se consideró p<0.05 para significancia estadística. Resultados: 55% de sujetos presentó masa muscular baja, 78% masa grasa alta, 17% grasa visceral alta, 59% sobrepeso y obesidad. La ingesta proteica y masa muscular fue mayor en hombres que en mujeres. No se encontró relación estadísticamente significativa entre ingesta proteica y composición corporal según sexo y grupos de edad, sin embargo, se encontró que las mujeres con mayor ingesta proteica presentaron adecuada masa grasa, masa muscular y grasa visceral mientras que los hombres con alta ingesta proteica tenían adecuada masa muscular y alta grasa corporal y visceral. Conclusiones: La ingesta proteica no se relacionó estadísticamente con la composición corporal en adultos jóvenes.

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.

Introducción: El riesgo metabólico se define como la presencia de alteraciones metabólicas que interfieren con la regulación hormonal y el procesamiento energético. Estas alteraciones se manifiestan especialmente mediante disfunciones en los perfiles lipídico, glucémico, presión arterial y el aumento de la circunferencia de cintura. Objetivo: analizar la relación entre la circunferencia del cuello y la presencia de factores de riesgo metabólico en adultos jóvenes ecuatorianos, explorando su valor como parámetro antropométrico de riesgo en esta población. Materiales y métodos: se llevó a cabo un diseño no experimental, analítico, de corte transversal. Participaron 121 adultos con edades entre 18 a 29 años. Se evaluaron los factores contemplados por el ATP III del 2001 para diagnóstico de síndrome metabólico (SM) y la circunferencia del cuello. Se analizaron las correlaciones entre estas variables y se estableció la sensibilidad y especificidad mediante curvas ROC para identificar el riesgo metabólico. Resultados: se identificaron correlaciones significativas (p < 0,001) positivas entre circunferencia del cuello y la circunferencia de cintura (CC) y la presión sistólica (PS), así como una correlación negativa con el colesterol HDL. Los puntos de corte de circunferencia del cuello para alteraciones en la PS fueron 33,45 cm (población general), 36,40 cm (hombres), 31,65 cm (mujeres): para la CC, los valores fueron 34,15 cm (población general), 39,05 cm (hombres), 32,45 cm (mujeres). Conclusión: la circunferencia del cuello se relaciona significativamente con la CC y la PS, por lo que puede considerarse un parámetro útil en la detección temprana del riesgo metabólico.