Heterogeneity of Dietary Profiles in Highly Sedentary Young Guadeloupean Women

Abstract

Objective:The aim was to examine the relationship between physical activity pattern and dietary profile. Although some clustering of the variables related to these major determinants of cardiovascular risk has been demonstrated, they have not been extensively studied together.Participants, Design, and Setting:Two hundred two female university students from the main Guadeloupe (French West Indies) campus participated. They self-administered a validated Food Frequency Questionnaire and the 1-yr recall Modifiable Activity Questionnaire. Principal-component analysis was performed on the scores and the variables related to the physical activity pattern and dietary profile.Results:A model including 10 variables explained 84.9% of the total variance. The physical activity pattern was not associated with the dietary profile, apart from fruit intake. The physical activity level was homogeneously low (median 1.58, first and last quartile cutoffs 1.54 and 1.66, respectively). There was no correlation between the physical activity level and the Food Frequency Questionnaire score (r = –.005).Conclusions:The absence of a strong relationship between the food and physical activity profiles is interpreted as a possible reflection of a dysregulation of the quality of food intake in this population with a sedentary lifestyle.