Diet Quality Is an Indicator of Disease Risk Factors in Hispanic College Freshmen.

Background: No studies have assessed the relationship between diet quality, using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), and adiposity, physical activity, and metabolic disease risk factors in a Hispanic college population.

Objective: To assess associations between diet quality and adiposity, metabolic health, and physical activity levels in a Hispanic college freshman population.

Design: This was a cross-sectional study.

Decreased eating frequency linked to increased visceral adipose tissue, body fat, and BMI in Hispanic college freshmen.

Background: To investigate the relationship between eating frequency and specific adiposity markers in a potentially high-risk and understudied population of Hispanic college freshmen.

Methods: This study included 92 Hispanic college freshmen (18-19 y). The following cross-sectional data were collected: height, weight, waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), dietary intake, body composition, physical activity, hepatic fat, visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT).