Consumo de frutas y verduras asociado a las características de las heces según escala de Bristol en universitarios de Lima-Perú

Introduction: The type of diet is one of the factors that can contribute to the onset of constipation, a diet low in fiber, high in flour and sugars constitutes a risk factor to give rise to constipation, which is frequent in university students. Objective: To identify the consumption of fruits and vegetables and their association with stool characteristics according to the Bristol scale in university students in Lima-Peru. Methods: This was a cross-sectional and correlational study carried out in 1,144 Peruvian university students from the faculties of Health Sciences in Lima. The age of the students was 18 to 42 years. The questionnaire on frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption was validated by expert judgment and includes 23 fruits, 18 vegetables, which are available in Lima markets, and the Bristol scale was used to identify stool characteristics. The association between the frequency of consumption of the different fruits and vegetables with the Bristol scale and stool characteristics was analyzed using the Chi-square statistical test and Fisher’s exact test because they are ordinal and nominal variables. Results: The most consumed fruits and vegetables were banana (27.4%), apple (26.7%), carrot (27.4%), tomato (27.3%), onion (27%) and lettuce (25.2%). More than 50% of the students presented type 4 stools (smooth and soft) and consumed two or more servings of vegetables per day and three or more servings of fruits. There is a moderate direct association between the variables, that is, the higher the consumption of fruits and vegetables, the softer the stool characteristics (p<0.05). Conclusion: Daily consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with smooth and soft stools. However, it is necessary to promote the consumption of water, fruits, varied vegetables (soluble and insoluble fiber) and physical activity.