Academic Journal
New Tools for Health: COMUNI Questionnaire to Measure Dietary Quality of University Menus.
| Τίτλος: | New Tools for Health: COMUNI Questionnaire to Measure Dietary Quality of University Menus. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | de Mateo Silleras B; Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valladolid, 47005 Valladolid, Spain., Carreño Enciso L; Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valladolid, 47005 Valladolid, Spain., de la Cruz Marcos S; Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valladolid, 47005 Valladolid, Spain., Quinto Fernández E; Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valladolid, 47005 Valladolid, Spain., Redondo Del Río P; Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valladolid, 47005 Valladolid, Spain. |
| Πηγή: | Nutrients [Nutrients] 2025 Dec 11; Vol. 17 (24). Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Dec 11. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: MDPI Publishing Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101521595 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2072-6643 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 20726643 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Nutrients Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Basel, Switzerland : MDPI Publishing |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Food Services*/standards , Nutritive Value* , Diet, Healthy* , Diet* , Menu Planning*, Humans ; Universities ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Female ; Male ; Young Adult ; Adult ; Students ; Lunch |
| Περίληψη: | Background/Objectives: The university stage is a critical period for consolidating dietary habits that influence future health. University canteens therefore play a key role in providing menus aligned with nutritional recommendations. As menu composition shapes students' access to healthy food, its evaluation also has equity implications. This study aimed to apply a newly designed questionnaire-the COMUNI questionnaire-intended to provide a rapid, user-friendly, and transferable method for evaluating the dietary quality of lunch menus offered in university canteens. Methods: Two versions of the 13-item COMUNI questionnaire were developed: COMUNI-1 for single-option menus and COMUNI-2 for menus offering multiple first- and second-course choices. The tool evaluates the frequency of key food groups, the availability of water and wholegrain bread, and the variety of foods and culinary techniques. To test the questionnaire, it was applied to 34 menu templates from university residences, colleges, and cafeterias. Results: 85.3% of menus showed deficient dietary quality, and 14.7% were rated as improvable; none achieved an optimal score. Menus managed by catering companies obtained significantly higher scores than those under direct management. Most frequently shortcomings included insufficient offerings of vegetables, legumes, fish, and wholegrain bread, alongside a frequent presence of refined carbohydrate sources and fried or ultra-processed foods. Conclusions: Universities should incorporate adherence to dietary recommendations as a key criterion in food-service procurement. The COMUNI questionnaire provides a simple and operational tool for assessing menu quality, supporting both diagnosis and monitoring of university food-service, once formally validated. Its use may also help identify structural disparities in access to healthy foods across campus settings, supporting more equitable food-service policies. |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: diet; dietary quality; dietetics; food services; questionnaire; university menu; university students |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20251231 Date Completed: 20251231 Latest Revision: 20260103 |
| Update Code: | 20260130 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC12736357 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/nu17243873 |
| PMID: | 41470819 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 2072-6643 |
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| DOI: | 10.3390/nu17243873 |