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Food Habits, Nutritional Knowledge, and Nutrition Education

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A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 December 2025 | Viewed by 18052

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Celia Carrillo

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Guest Editor

Nutrición y Bromatología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Burgos, E-09001 Burgos, Spain
Interests: nutrition; nutrients; digestion; bioactive compounds; bioaccessibility; bioactivity; health-related properties; food science; food habits; food knowledge
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Dr. Celia Rodriguez Perez

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Guest Editor

Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
Interests: metabolomics; chromatography; mass spectrometry; green extraction techniques; bioactive compounds; phenolic compounds; nutrition; metabolic diseases; cognitive impairment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nutrition is fundamental to ensuring proper development throughout the different stages of life and is closely linked to the health of the population and the risk of disease. A diet characterized by fresh, unprocessed foods with a predominance of plant foods, together with regular physical activity, is associated with the prevention of most of the chronic diseases affecting the population.

Nutritional knowledge is a key factor in achieving healthy eating habits, and nutrition education is the main tool to improve this knowledge in different population groups.

This Special Issue will include original and review articles assessing dietary habits, nutritional knowledge, and attitudes towards food in different population groups. In addition, studies focusing on nutrition education will also be of interest.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Nutrients.

Dr. Celia Carrillo
Dr. Celia Rodriguez Perez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

diet
food habits
nutritional knowledge
nutrition education

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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14 pages, 398 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dietary Patterns and Sustainable Lifestyles: A Multicenter Study from Latin America and Spain

by Solange Parra-Soto, Tannia Valeria Carpio-Arias, Israel Rios-Castillo, Patricio Pérez-Armijo, Leslie Landaeta-Díaz, Ana Gabriela Murillo, Jacqueline Araneda-Flores, Brian M. Cavagnari, Georgina Gómez, Gladys Morales, Karla Cordón-Arrivillaga, Melissa Miranda-Durán, Ana María Aguilar, Alfonsina Ortiz, Eliana Romina Meza-Miranda, Edna J. Nava-González, Jhon Jairo Bejarano-Roncancio, Beatriz Núñez-Martínez, João P. M. Lima, Jorge de Assis Costa, Jairo Torres, Saby Mauricio, Saby Camacho, Gloria Maricela Morales, Macarena Jara and Samuel Durán-Agüero Show full author list Hide full author list

Foods 2025, 14(12), 2065; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14122065 - 11 Jun 2025

Viewed by 897

Abstract

Food systems interact through multiple dimensions including food security, nutrition, and planetary health. This study aims to associate different dietary patterns with sustainable lifestyles in Latin America and Spain. This was an observational, analytical, multicenter, cross-sectional survey study, with a total of 6412 participants. A self-administered questionnaire was developed in an online format in the Google Docs interface. The questionnaire was divided into sections: (1) sociodemographic background: country of residence, age, sex, educational level, socioeconomic aspects, and place of residence; (2) body mass index classification; (3) dietary patterns (Western, vegetarian, vegan, ketogenic, Mediterranean, prudent, or paleolithic diets); and (4) the Sustainable Lifestyles Survey. Multivariate models were applied to adjust for potential confounding factors. The mean age of the participants was 35.2 years (SD 12.7). The majority of participants identified their dietary pattern as omnivorous (41.5%), followed by the Western diet (21.7%) and the Mediterranean diet (12.7%). Plant-based, vegan (β: 14.90; 95% CI: 9.75–20.05), and lacto egg (β: 12.08; 95% CI: 8.57–15.58) diets are significantly associated with a higher sustainability score compared to an omnivorous diet. In contrast, a Western diet is inversely associated (β: −5.63; 95% CI: −7.20 to −4.06). Finally, a vegan (Sub-score 1: β: 6.19; 95% CI: 4.43–7.96) diet is consistently associated with higher levels of sustainability in all areas assessed. In contrast, the Western diet shows a significant negative association with sustainability in all subcomponents assessed. Conclusions: Plant-based dietary patterns were shown to be associated with sustainable lifestyles, with the vegan diet having the greatest association, while the Western dietary pattern was inversely associated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Habits, Nutritional Knowledge, and Nutrition Education)

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28 pages, 3914 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Alcohol Consumption and Beverage Preferences in a Predominantly Female, Highly Educated Spanish Population: A Sociodemographic and Network Analysis

by Elena Sandri, Michela Capoferri, Gaia Luciani and Michela Piredda

Foods 2025, 14(11), 1930; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14111930 - 29 May 2025

Viewed by 411

Abstract

Understanding alcohol consumption patterns is critical for developing effective public health strategies, particularly in countries like Spain where cultural and regional drinking norms vary widely. This study examined sociodemographic factors affecting alcohol consumption patterns across Spain, employing a cross-sectional design. A total of 22,181 Spanish adults over 18 years of age were recruited between August 2020 and November 2021, using non-probabilistic snowball sampling through social media networks. Data were gathered via a validated questionnaire (NutSo-HH Scale) encompassing sociodemographic details, health indicators, and lifestyle habits, with a focus on alcohol use. The sample included n = 22,181 participants, 80.8% women, with a mean age of 34.9 years. Most respondents (48.2%) reported no or very occasional alcohol consumption, 33% drank 2–4 times per month, 13.8% consumed alcohol 2–3 times weekly, and 5% drank daily or nearly daily. Alcohol consumption was significantly higher among men (72.1% consuming fermented beverages) and individuals with higher income and education (p < 0.001 for all variables). Regional differences were also notable, with the highest percentage of regular drinkers in Asturias (80.9%) and the Valencian Community (73.3%) as revealed by a Kruskal–Wallis test (p < 0.001). Fermented beverages were the most popular, with 68.4% of alcohol consumers preferring these, compared to distilled beverages (18.8%), fortified beverages (15.1%), and liqueurs (3.3%). A Gaussian graphical model was used to explore conditional relationships between alcohol consumption and other beverages in the Spanish population. Alcohol showed strong positive associations with fermented and distilled beverages, and with the habit of getting drunk. Weaker negative correlations were observed with water and soft drinks, suggesting contrasting consumption patterns. These findings underscore significant sociodemographic and regional variations in alcohol consumption patterns across Spain, suggesting the need for public health interventions tailored to different population segments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Habits, Nutritional Knowledge, and Nutrition Education)

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9 pages, 537 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Comparative Study Between the Dietary Pattern in Argentina and International Recommendations

by Carola Hunziker, Ezequiel Martín Arrieta, Maria Pilar Diaz and Alberto Edel León

Foods 2025, 14(11), 1920; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14111920 - 28 May 2025

Viewed by 380

Abstract

Current food systems pose serious threats to both human health and environmental sustainability. Market forces stimulate food production to such an extent that life on Earth is endangered, and an eating pattern based on calorie-dense, nutrient-poor, and ultra-processed foods is promoted. In terms of health, this situation has caused obesity to become a pandemic, which is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases, one of the current leading causes of death. The EAT-Lancet Commission (EAT-LC) argues that providing a growing world population with healthy diets through sustainable food systems is an immediate challenge. Thus, we propose to compare: (a) the consumption patterns described by this commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (LA&C) with those determined for Argentina; (b) Argentine dietary habits with the healthy and sustainable dietary pattern proposed by the EAT-LC; and (c) the availability of each food group in Argentina with the pattern proposed by the EAT-LC. A total of 11 food groups proposed by the Commission were taken as a reference. The dietary patterns described by the EAT-LC for LA&C are not representative of Argentina, where meat consumption is much higher (200%) and legume consumption is lower (78%). Very marked differences are observed between the consumption pattern in Argentina and the recommendations made by the EAT-LC. Regarding food availability, Argentina exceeds the requirements for meat (13.4 times), starchy vegetables (2.4 times), and eggs (2.3 times); by contrast, it does not reach the levels proposed for other products such as vegetables, nuts, legumes, or fish. Promoting a change in the eating habits of the population from a human-rights perspective represents an enormous challenge. The main aim of this work is to take a first step towards that transformation by comparing international recommendations for health and sustainability—paying special attention to culture-specific aspects—and dietary patterns in Argentina. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Habits, Nutritional Knowledge, and Nutrition Education)

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15 pages, 2398 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Children’s Menus at Fast Food Restaurants on the Uber Eats^® Delivery App

by Andrea Zapata-Quiroga, João P. M. Lima, Ada Rocha, Silvana Saavedra-Clarke and Samuel Durán-Agüero

Foods 2025, 14(3), 434; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14030434 - 29 Jan 2025

Viewed by 1593

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the offer of children’s menus offered in fast food restaurants present in the Uber Eats delivery application through the Kids Menu Healthy Score ‘KIMEHS’ in Greater Santiago. Methods: Observational, descriptive, cross-sectional. Research in fast food restaurants present in the Uber Eats delivery app. A total of 858 restaurants were selected. The KIMEHS was used to assess menu quality. KIMEHS index and descriptive statistics were calculated. Results: 558 restaurants were evaluated through the app; 57 offered children’s menus, yielding 114 children’s menu options from 18 different municipalities. The common offer was based on fried and/or processed lean meat accompanied by French fries in 71%. Moreover, 99% of the menus assessed obtained the minimum score in the KIMEHS placing them in the ‘not healthy at all’ category. When associations were made between foods and the lowest KIMEHS score quartile, the presence of chips had the strongest association (OR; 40.36: CI95% 11.43–201.08). Conclusions: Most restaurants offer a children’s menu of low nutritional quality and poor balance, where their dishes are commonly based on fried and processed products, pointing to the urgent need for legislation on guidelines to be applied on the different actors influencing the food offered to children. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Habits, Nutritional Knowledge, and Nutrition Education)

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12 pages, 960 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of a Nutritional Education Intervention on the Reduction of Added Sugar Consumption in Schoolchildren in Southeastern Mexico: Community Study

by Carmen Morales-Ruán, Teresa Shamah-Levy, Danae Gabriela Valenzuela-Bravo, Rebeca Uribe-Carvajal, Corin Hernández-Palafox, María Concepción Medina-Zacarías and Ignacio Méndez Gómez-Humarán

Foods 2025, 14(2), 179; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14020179 - 8 Jan 2025

Viewed by 1965

Abstract

Consumption of added sugars negatively affects schoolchildren’s health, making it essential to promote strategies designed to reduce their intake through educational interventions. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a nutritional education intervention, INCAI, on the consumption of added sugars among schoolchildren in southeastern Mexico. A 9-month educational intervention was designed to promote healthy eating, physical activity, and the development of socio-emotional skills among primary school children. Information on the usual intake of foods and beverages was collected from 400 schoolchildren at the beginning and end of the intervention using a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. For the analysis, a generalized estimating equation (GEE) model was constructed using the Poisson distribution family to estimate the effect of the intervention. The relative incidence in the final stage showed a slight increase of 4% (p = 0.093) in the percentage of added sugars compared with the baseline levels in the control group. By contrast, the intervention effect, represented by the interaction between treatment and time, showed a 10% reduction in the final stage in the intervention group (p < 0.001). Based on these findings, the INCAI educational intervention effectively reduced added sugar consumption by 10% in the intervention group, while no significant reduction was observed in the control group. These results suggest that nutritional education programs can be a useful strategy for lowering added sugar intake among schoolchildren, highlighting the importance of incorporating such interventions into public health policies targeting child populations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Habits, Nutritional Knowledge, and Nutrition Education)

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16 pages, 598 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Regular Family Meals Associated with Nutritional Status, Food Consumption, and Sedentary and Eating Behaviors of Brazilian Schoolchildren and Their Caregivers

by Giovanna Angela Leonel Oliveira, Gabriela Buccini, Vivian S. S. Gonçalves, Muriel Bauermann Gubert and Natacha Toral

Foods 2024, 13(23), 3975; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13233975 - 9 Dec 2024

Viewed by 1571

Abstract

The influence of family meals on nutrition and health for families has been understudied, especially in low- and middle-income countries. We aimed to analyze associations between regular family meals and body mass index (BMI), food consumption, eating, and sedentary behaviors among Brazilian schoolchildren and their caregivers. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1887 Brazilian schoolchildren aged 6–11 years and their caregivers. Caregivers provided sociodemographic data, their child’s weight and height, and the frequency of family meals. Schoolchildren provided data on gender and silhouette scale. Both provided their food consumption, eating, and sedentary behavior data. Associations between regular family meals and BMI, ultra-processed food consumption, and dietary diversity were assessed through multivariate logistic regression models. Correlations of regular family meals with eating and sedentary behaviors were assessed using Pearson chi-square. Regular family meals were frequent (86.6%), and they were associated with less unhealthy BMI in caregivers (AOR: 0.74; 95%CI: 0.5–0.9), as well as higher dietary diversity in caregivers (AOR: 1.66; 95%CI: 1.0–2.7) and in schoolchildren (AOR: 1.78; 95%CI: 1.4–2.3). The coexistence of high dietary diversity and both low ultra-processed food consumption (AOR: 1.45; 95%CI: 1.0–2.1) and healthy BMI (AOR: 1.41; 95%CI: 1.0–1.9) in children was associated with regular family meals. Regular family meals were correlated with healthy eating behaviors in child-caregiver dyads (p < 0.002) and with sedentary behavior in caregivers (p = 0.019). Our findings underscore regular family meals as a protective factor against malnutrition among Brazilian families. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Habits, Nutritional Knowledge, and Nutrition Education)

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24 pages, 760 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Children’s Diets and Planetary Health: A Study in Wroclaw, Poland, and Sydney, Australia

by Agnieszka Orkusz and Diana Bogueva

Foods 2024, 13(22), 3536; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13223536 - 6 Nov 2024

Viewed by 2265

Abstract

Meals served to children should not only satisfy hunger and taste preferences but also be nutritionally adequate. Nutrition in early childhood is critical, as children spend a significant portion of their day in kindergarten or preschool, making these settings key contributors to their overall dietary intake. With the rising prevalence of nutrition-related health conditions among children, early interventions are essential for developing and establishing lifelong healthy eating habits. This study assessed the nutritional value and quality of children’s diets in two distinct settings: kindergartens in Wroclaw, Poland, and preschools in Sydney, Australia, evaluating their alignment with the planetary health diet. The research analysed 10-day menu cycles from five kindergartens in Wroclaw and the contents of lunchboxes from five preschools in Sydney’s Upper North Shore area. A total of 100 menus were reviewed in Poland, while 100 children’s lunchboxes were assessed in Australia. Different analytical methods were employed: the Diet 6D software program for the Polish menus and the Food Consumption Score for the Australian lunchboxes. Both methods revealed dietary imbalances, such as excessive intake of protein, vitamin A, salt, and sugar, alongside deficiencies in calcium, vitamin C, and vitamin D. The study concluded that children’s diets should adhere to nutritional guidelines, meeting both Polish and Australian standards, and align with the principles of the planetary health diet. To achieve this, nutritional education is essential for kindergarten staff in Poland, while targeted educational interventions are needed for parents and children in both Poland and Australia, promoting health and environmental sustainability through better nutrition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Habits, Nutritional Knowledge, and Nutrition Education)

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Review

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20 pages, 337 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Dietary Habits and Nutritional Knowledge of Pregnant Women: The Importance of Nutrition Education

by María Josefa Olloqui-Mundet, María del Mar Cavia, Sara R. Alonso-Torre and Celia Carrillo

Foods 2024, 13(19), 3189; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13193189 - 8 Oct 2024

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 7874

Abstract

A good diet during pregnancy is associated with improvements to maternal and fetal health. Nevertheless, excessive weight gain during pregnancy has been reported in several studies. The aim of this review is to determine the dietary habits of pregnant women (measured according to their degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet, a reference in dietary quality), their knowledge of food and nutrition, and their perceptions of the nutritional education received during their pregnancy, in order to detect intervention needs within that group. The bibliographic search was conducted on three databases (Medline, PubMed central, and Web of Science), using the keywords “pregnancy”, “Mediterranean diet”, “nutrition knowledge”, “nutritional education”, and some synonyms. The final selection included 68 original articles. The available evidence indicated that, although pregnant women were aware of the importance of nutrition during pregnancy, their habits showed some room for improvement in terms of diet and physical exercise. Lack of adequate advice was the main barrier to the practice of healthy habits that pregnant women encountered; they considered that the information they received during pregnancy follow-up visits was inadequate. However, the success of interventions within different countries is a source of hope for well-structured nutrition education throughout pregnancy. The lack of nutrition-related knowledge among pregnant women could be originally related to poorly planned nutrition education from healthcare providers. Research focused on the consultations with these healthcare providers could be of help when proposing strategies to improve the content, the depth, and the duration of nutrition education sessions. It should, in any case, be noted that the available evidence in this field is limited to certain geographical origins. Therefore, research that uncovers evidence in different countries will be useful for learning about the factors that condition the habits of pregnant women and, in that way, guide strategies for the improvement of the health of expectant mothers during that stage in their lives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Habits, Nutritional Knowledge, and Nutrition Education)

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