TY  - JOUR
N2  - Background/Objectives: The diet quality of younger individuals is decreasing globally, with alarming trends also in the Mediterranean region. The aim of this study was to assess diet quality and adequacy in relation to country-specific dietary recommendations for children and adolescents living in the Mediterranean area. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted of 2011 parents of the target population participating in the DELICIOUS EU-PRIMA project. Dietary data and cross-references with food-based recommendations and the application of the youth healthy eating index (YHEI) was assessed through 24 h recalls and food frequency questionnaires. Results: Adherence to recommendations on plant-based foods was low (less than ?20%), including fruit and vegetables adequacy in all countries, legume adequacy in all countries except for Italy, and cereal adequacy in all countries except for Portugal. For animal products and dietary fats, the adequacy in relation to the national food-based dietary recommendations was slightly better (?40% on average) in most countries, although the Eastern countries reported worse rates. Higher scores on the YHEI predicted adequacy in relation to vegetables (except Egypt), fruit (except Lebanon), cereals (except Spain), and legumes (except Spain) in most countries. Younger children (p < 0.005) reporting having 8?10 h adequate sleep duration (p < 0.001), <2 h/day screen time (p < 0.001), and a medium/high physical activity level (p < 0.001) displayed a better diet quality. Moreover, older respondents (p < 0.001) with a medium/high educational level (p = 0.001) and living with a partner (p = 0.003) reported that their children had a better diet quality. Conclusions: Plant-based food groups, including fruit, vegetables, legumes, and even (whole-grain) cereals are underrepresented in the diets of Mediterranean children and adolescents. Moreover, the adequate consumption of other important dietary components, such as milk and dairy products, is rather disregarded, leading to substantially suboptimal diets and poor adequacy in relation to dietary guidelines.
VL  - 16
AV  - public
UR  - http://doi.org/10.3390/nu16223907
IS  - 22
Y1  - 2024/11//
ID  - unincol15333
TI  - Youth Healthy Eating Index (YHEI) and Diet Adequacy in Relation to Country-Specific National Dietary Recommendations in Children and Adolescents in Five Mediterranean Countries from the DELICIOUS Project
A1  - Giampieri, Francesca
A1  - Rosi, Alice
A1  - Scazzina, Francesca
A1  - Frias-Toral, Evelyn
A1  - Abdelkarim, Osama
A1  - Aly, Mohamed
A1  - Zambrano-Villacres, Raynier
A1  - Pons, Juancho
A1  - Vázquez-Araújo, Laura
A1  - Sumalla Cano, Sandra
A1  - Elío Pascual, Iñaki
A1  - Monasta, Lorenzo
A1  - Mata, Ana
A1  - Pardo, María Isabel
A1  - Busó, Pablo
A1  - Grosso, Giuseppe
KW  - dietary recommendations; diet quality; Mediterranean diet; children; adolescents
SN  - 2072-6643
JF  - Nutrients
ER  -