Adherence to the Mediterranean diet, level of physical activity and body dissatisfaction in subjects 16-50 years old in the Region of Murcia, Spain

Objective: To analyze obesity, level of adherence to the Mediterranean diet, physical activity and body dissatisfaction in people aged 16-50 years in the Region of Murcia, Spain. Method: Descriptive and cross-sectional study. A total of 85 people (58 men) aged 16 to 50 years (28.68 ± 8.846) from 3 sports centers with similar sociodemographic characteristics participated in the study. Anthropometric values were recorded. They were tested for adherence to the Mediterranean diet, International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and test for dissatisfaction with their body (BSQ) and it was statistically related. Results: It can be seen that the level of physical activity of both men and women is low, according to the IPAQ questionnaire, the men presented a METs/min per week of 3,687.9 (DT = 3,137.2) significantly higher than women's. In body dissatisfaction we see that women's concern with their bodies (59.3%) is greater than men's (31%), with a statistically significant difference (P = 0.013). Eating habits and BMI do not have statistically significant differences according to sex. When applying the Mediterranean diet adherence test, it is observed that 95.3% of those with weight overload have a medium or low score, and only 4.7% have a discharge score (P = 0.128). Those with weight overload have a score of 2,935.73 MET/min per week (DT = 2,633.16) and those without weight overload have a value of 3,826.73 (DT = 3,164.93, P = 0.268). There are significant differences regarding the values of body dissatisfaction. The level of concern of those with weight overload is 53.5%, compared to those without weight overload who have a level of concern of 26.2% (P = 0.014). Conclusions: Weight overload is associated with body dissatisfaction and a low score in the test of adherence to the Mediterranean diet in people aged 16-50 years. The concern about body image in women was 59.3%.