Relationship between the Presence of Chronic Pain and Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in University Students

Abstract

Purpose: This study evaluated the presence of chronic pain and adherence to the Mediterranean diet and to examine the relationship between diet and pain among university students. Material and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with volunteer students from November-December 2019. Students' demographic and health information, nutritional habits were questioned, 24-hour retrospective food consumption was recorded, they were asked to fill in the pain assessment form, the Mediterranean diet adherence scale, and the international physical activity questionnaire, finally, their measurements (height, weight) were made. Results: The study included 595 students (87.2% female) with a mean age of 20.2±1.48 years. The prevalence of chronic pain was 37.8%. The majority of these students (58.7%) had moderate pain intensity (5-7 points). In the Mediterranean diet adherence score, 75% of students had <7 points. There was no significant association between chronic pain status and adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Conclusion: This study was not significantly found the relationship between the presence of chronic pain and adherence to the Mediterranean diet. However, while there were many students who suffered from chronic pain, there were few who followed a Mediterranean diet. To better understand the connection between chronic pain and diet, more research is needed.

Keywords

• Chronic pain
• Mediterranean diet
• Pain measurement
• University student

References

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