eprintid: 17825 rev_number: 9 eprint_status: archive userid: 2 dir: disk0/00/01/78/25 datestamp: 2025-09-04 23:30:09 lastmod: 2025-09-04 23:30:11 status_changed: 2025-09-04 23:30:09 type: article metadata_visibility: show creators_name: Giampieri, Francesca creators_name: Rosi, Alice creators_name: Frias-Toral, Evelyn creators_name: Abdelkarim, Osama creators_name: Aly, Mohamed creators_name: Ammar, Achraf creators_name: Zambrano-Villacres, Raynier creators_name: Pons, Juancho creators_name: Vázquez-Araújo, Laura creators_name: Decembrino, Nunzia creators_name: Scuderi, Alessandro creators_name: Leonardi, Alice creators_name: Monasta, Lorenzo creators_name: Maniega Legarda, Fernando creators_name: Mata, Ana creators_name: Chacón, Adrián creators_name: Busó, Pablo creators_name: Grosso, Giuseppe creators_id: francesca.giampieri@uneatlantico.es creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: title: Unhealthy Ultra-Processed Food, Diet Quality and Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Children and Adolescents: The DELICIOUS Project ispublished: unpub subjects: uneat_sn divisions: uneatlantico_produccion_cientifica divisions: unic_produccion_cientifica divisions: uniromana_produccion_cientifica full_text_status: public keywords: ultra-processed food; Mediterranean diet; children and adolescents abstract: Background: Western dietary patterns worldwide are increasingly dominated by energy-dense, nutrient-deficient industrial foods, often identified as ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Such products may have detrimental health implications, particularly if nutritionally inadequate. This study aimed to examine the intake of unhealthy UPFs among children and adolescents from five Mediterranean countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, and Lebanon) involved in the DELICIOUS project and to assess the association with dietary quality indicators. Methods: A survey was conducted with a sample of 2011 parents of children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years to evaluate their dietary habits. Diet quality was assessed using the Youth Healthy Eating Index (Y-HEI), the KIDMED index to determine adherence to the Mediterranean diet, and compliance with national dietary guidelines. Results: Increased UPF consumption was not inherently associated with healthy or unhealthy specific food groups, although children and adolescents who consumed UPF daily were less likely to exhibit high overall diet quality and adherence to the Mediterranean diet. In all five countries, greater UPF intake was associated with poorer compliance with dietary recommendations concerning fats, sweets, meat, and legumes. Conclusions: Increased UPF consumption among Mediterranean children and adolescents is associated with an unhealthy dietary pattern, possibly marked by a high intake of fats, sweets, and meat, and a low consumption of legumes. date: 2025-07 publication: Foods volume: 14 number: 15 pagerange: 2648 id_number: doi:10.3390/foods14152648 refereed: TRUE issn: 2304-8158 official_url: http://doi.org/10.3390/foods14152648 access: open language: en citation: Artículo Materias > Alimentación Universidad Europea del Atlántico > Investigación > Producción Científica Universidad Internacional do Cuanza > Investigación > Producción Científica Universidad de La Romana > Investigación > Producción Científica Abierto Inglés Background: Western dietary patterns worldwide are increasingly dominated by energy-dense, nutrient-deficient industrial foods, often identified as ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Such products may have detrimental health implications, particularly if nutritionally inadequate. This study aimed to examine the intake of unhealthy UPFs among children and adolescents from five Mediterranean countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, and Lebanon) involved in the DELICIOUS project and to assess the association with dietary quality indicators. Methods: A survey was conducted with a sample of 2011 parents of children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years to evaluate their dietary habits. Diet quality was assessed using the Youth Healthy Eating Index (Y-HEI), the KIDMED index to determine adherence to the Mediterranean diet, and compliance with national dietary guidelines. Results: Increased UPF consumption was not inherently associated with healthy or unhealthy specific food groups, although children and adolescents who consumed UPF daily were less likely to exhibit high overall diet quality and adherence to the Mediterranean diet. In all five countries, greater UPF intake was associated with poorer compliance with dietary recommendations concerning fats, sweets, meat, and legumes. Conclusions: Increased UPF consumption among Mediterranean children and adolescents is associated with an unhealthy dietary pattern, possibly marked by a high intake of fats, sweets, and meat, and a low consumption of legumes. metadata Giampieri, Francesca; Rosi, Alice; Frias-Toral, Evelyn; Abdelkarim, Osama; Aly, Mohamed; Ammar, Achraf; Zambrano-Villacres, Raynier; Pons, Juancho; Vázquez-Araújo, Laura; Decembrino, Nunzia; Scuderi, Alessandro; Leonardi, Alice; Monasta, Lorenzo; Maniega Legarda, Fernando; Mata, Ana; Chacón, Adrián; Busó, Pablo y Grosso, Giuseppe mail francesca.giampieri@uneatlantico.es, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR (2025) Unhealthy Ultra-Processed Food, Diet Quality and Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Children and Adolescents: The DELICIOUS Project. Foods, 14 (15). p. 2648. ISSN 2304-8158 (Inédito) document_url: http://repositorio.uniromana.edu.do/id/eprint/17825/1/foods-14-02648-v2.pdf