Dietary adherence to the French National Nutrition and Health Program recommendations and its association with food insecurity among college students in Grenoble, France

The dietary choices of university students are widely studied, as life transitions can increase their risk to food insecurity (FI). This study presents a method to evaluate the eating habits of students using a score based on the French National Nutrition and Health Program (Programme National Nutrition et Santé (PNNS)) to assess their adherence to the dietary guidelines and examine the association between FI and the compliance with these recommendations. This proof of concept was carried out on the student population of the University of Grenoble (UGA), through a study including 257 students. The dietary intake was assessed through an online questionnaire. Then, the eating habits were evaluated through a developed PNNS score of 12 criteria. The FI status was previously assessed among these students in a published study conducted by members of the consortium. The overall student population had a mean normalized PNNS score of 62%. As for the FI students, while their prevalence was relatively low (9%), they showed significantly lower adherence to the fruits and vegetables recommendation ( p = 0.007). Conversely, they exhibited significantly higher adherence to the whole-grain cereals ( p = 0.025) and the meat, poultry, and eggs ( p = 0.013) criteria. Additionally, FI students tended to experience more weight variations during the academic year. This study provides an overview of UGA students’ adherence to different PNNS recommendations and highlights its association with FI. This method, extended to a larger student population and to other universities could provide valuable insights for public policies focused on improving students’ nutritional status and could motivate universities to enhance student well-being and health by addressing FI.