Knowledge about Palm Oil in The University Population: A Descriptive Study

Introduction: Palm oil is the most used in the world. It is composed of mainly fatty acids, that should be maintained < 10% of the total energy, within a balanced diet. College students are particularly vulnerable to poor nutrition, because they prefer high-fat fast food as first choice. Objective: To analyze the knowledge and frequency of consumption of products with palm oil in college population. Methods: descriptive cross-sectional study. Results: 80 students participated in the study were 64 women. The average age of the sample was 23.44 years. When we analyze the relationship between the knowledge of the products with palm oil and the frequency of consumption, we obtain a statistically significant difference (X 2 (2) = 16.57, p = .000), with a moderate effect size (V = 0.455). Conclusion: The university population believes they have deficient knowledge about the foods with palm oil and dont consult the labels to check if it contains it. They indicate consuming this type of produts 1 to 3 times a week. And there are an association between the frequency of consumption and the knowledge of the products with palm oil. Keywords: palm oil; university population; fatty acids; knowledge; consumption