Mahmood, L.* ; Moreno, L.A.* ; Schwarz, P.E. ; Willems, R.* ; Cardon, G.* ; Hilal, S.* ; Rurik, I.* ; Iotova, V.* ; Bazdarska, Y.* ; Dimova, R.* ; Anastasiou, K.* ; Manios, Y.* ; Gonzalez-Gil, E.M.*
A snapshot of country-specific dietary habits and obesity in European children: The Feel4Diabetes study.
Eur. J. Pediatr. 184:214 (2025)
UNLABELLED: This study assessed the dietary intake of European children by country, gender, and obesity degree across six European countries participating in the Feel4Diabetes study. It also compared food group intakes with European food-based dietary guidelines. The Feel4Diabetes study included 9,847 children (50.4% girls) from six European countries. Families provided baseline data on energy balance-related behaviors and socioeconomic factors via questionnaires. Children's dietary intake and breakfast consumption were assessed using semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires, and anthropometric measurements were taken. Intake from 11 food groups was analyzed by country, gender, and obesity degree. Chi-square analyses compared food intake with dietary guidelines. "Nutrient-dense " foods (e.g., fruits, vegetables, whole grains) and "energy-dense, low-nutrient" foods (e.g., high in added sugars, saturated fats) were categorized based on the European food-based guideline. Over 85% of children consumed breakfast 5-7 days a week, with no significant differences by Body Mass Index (BMI) or country. Mean intakes of nutrient-dense food groups fell below recommendations, while the intake of energy-dense, low-nutrient foods exceeded limits, particularly in children with overweight/obesity (p = 0.048). No significant gender differences were observed in most food groups. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary intake varied by country and obesity degree among European children. Across the six countries, children's diets did not align with food-based dietary guidelines. These findings underscore the need for interventions promoting healthier eating habits among European children. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The Feel4Diabetes-study is registered with the clinical trials registry (NCT02393872), http://clinicaltrials.gov What is Known: • Childhood obesity is a growing concern across Europe, with some variations in food consumption observed between European countries • Previous studies have highlighted the role of diet in childhood obesity, but few have examined cross-country comparisons while accounting for gender and BMI status. WHAT IS NEW: • This study provides a comprehensive cross-country analysis of children's dietary intake, considering gender, BMI status, and adherence to European dietary guidelines. • New insights into gender differences in sweets consumption and the positive association between BMI and food intake (such as soft drinks and sweets) are presented, which can inform targeted dietary interventions.
Impact Factor
Scopus SNIP
Web of Science
Times Cited
Scopus
Cited By
Altmetric
Publikationstyp
Artikel: Journalartikel
Dokumenttyp
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel
Typ der Hochschulschrift
Herausgeber
Schlagwörter
Children ; Dietary Intake ; Europe ; Food Frequency ; Obesity; Consumption; Adolescents; Fruit; Food
Keywords plus
Sprache
englisch
Veröffentlichungsjahr
2025
Prepublished im Jahr
0
HGF-Berichtsjahr
2025
ISSN (print) / ISBN
0340-6199
e-ISSN
1432-1076
ISBN
Bandtitel
Konferenztitel
Konferzenzdatum
Konferenzort
Konferenzband
Quellenangaben
Band: 184,
Heft: 3,
Seiten: ,
Artikelnummer: 214
Supplement: ,
Reihe
Verlag
Springer
Verlagsort
One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, Ny, United States
Tag d. mündl. Prüfung
0000-00-00
Betreuer
Gutachter
Prüfer
Topic
Hochschule
Hochschulort
Fakultät
Veröffentlichungsdatum
0000-00-00
Anmeldedatum
0000-00-00
Anmelder/Inhaber
weitere Inhaber
Anmeldeland
Priorität
Begutachtungsstatus
Peer reviewed
Institut(e)
Institute of Pancreatic Islet Research (IPI)
POF Topic(s)
90000 - German Center for Diabetes Research
Forschungsfeld(er)
Helmholtz Diabetes Center
PSP-Element(e)
G-502600-004
Förderungen
European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme
Universidad de Zaragoza
Copyright
Erfassungsdatum
2025-04-30