Objective:

To establish the levels of physical activity, body composition, handgrip strength, food consumption and possible associations, of the workers of a higher education institution.

Methodology:

Cross-sectional study in which 141 administrative employees and professors (56% women and 44% men) participated, selected by Stratified random sampling. A generalized linear model with Poisson regression was included for the association of the variables with the dominant hand grip strength.

Results:

51.6% of the men and 46.8% of the women were overweight or obese, according to the body mass index; 39.7% were classified with risk of cardiovascular disease by waist-to-height ratio; 68.8% met the requirement of physical activity; 45.7% classified as having a low level of handgrip strength; According to the generalized linear model, a significant association was found between the low level of handgrip strength with having a greater fat mass and being a man. In food consumption, inappropriate patterns were observed with high consumption of saturated fatty acids, cholesterol, added sugars and low fiber intake.

Conclusion:

Risk factors for the development of non-communicable diseases such as high sedentary behavior, excess body mass and low level of grip strength were identified; the latter was inversely associated with the percentage of adipose mass. Intervention plans are proposed to promote changes in sedentary behavior, physical activity, and food consumption.

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