Sport and Nutrition: Interventions to Improve the Health of Children and Adolescents

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2027 | Viewed by 904

Editors


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain
Interests: education; health; physical activity; habits; sports; physical education

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Guest Editor
Department of Didactics of Musical, Plastic and Corporal Expression, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Interests: exercise performance; sports science; exercise science; exercise physiology; physical fitness; sport physiology; sport biomechanics; athletic performance; muscle physiology; biomechanics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There are many non-communicable diseases, which account for a high cause of mortality worldwide and are caused in some respects by modifiable factors, such as diet and sport, which can be intervened upon. Childhood and adolescence are periods characterised by physical, cognitive, and emotional growth where it is necessary to intervene through primary prevention in order to adopt changes in diet and physical activity that can persist and have a positive impact on adulthood, as well as on health systems. In this sense, the need to develop and investigate interventions and public policies that take into account the multiple factors that influence the lifestyles of children and young people, specifically diet and physical activity, is often overlooked. This Special Issue aims to highlight all those initiatives, programmes, interventions and public policies that directly and indirectly contribute to improving the lifestyles of the future population.

Dr. Francisco Rivas García
Prof. Dr. Rafael Francisco Caracuel-Cáliz
Dr. Maria del Mar Cepero-Gonzalez
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • health promotion
  • education
  • physical activity
  • children
  • intervention

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 761 KB  
Article
The Effect of Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Physical Activity on Fatty Acid Profiles in Young Muslims in Melilla
by Miriam Mohatar-Barba, María López-Olivares, Emilio González-Jiménez, Ana Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Mario Román-Cabezas, Javier S. Perona and Carmen Enrique-Mirón
Healthcare 2026, 14(10), 1415; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14101415 - 21 May 2026
Viewed by 434
Abstract
Background: The consumption of ultra-processed foods among adolescents is high due to their widespread availability and accessibility and has been linked to an increased cardiometabolic risk. In the Autonomous City of Melilla, it has been observed that Muslim adolescents consume more of these [...] Read more.
Background: The consumption of ultra-processed foods among adolescents is high due to their widespread availability and accessibility and has been linked to an increased cardiometabolic risk. In the Autonomous City of Melilla, it has been observed that Muslim adolescents consume more of these foods than their Christian peers, which warrants an exploratory analysis of their potential association with fatty acid biomarkers. Methods: A cross-sectional pilot study was conducted among 31 Muslim adolescents aged 15 to 17 years. The NOVA classification was used to identify the ultra-processed foods consumed, and the frequency of consumption, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, and level of physical activity were assessed. Fatty acid composition was determined in serum, VLDL, and erythrocytes. Results: Ultra-processed foods accounted for 49.1% of total daily energy intake, and 71% of the participants showed very low adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Saturated fatty acids predominated in VLDL, n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids reached their highest levels in serum, and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in erythrocytes. Furthermore, higher consumption of ultra-processed foods was positively correlated with saturated fatty acids in erythrocytes and with n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in VLDL and negatively correlated with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in erythrocytes and VLDL. Conclusions: These findings suggest that more frequent consumption of these foods is associated with a less favorable fatty acid profile, which underscores the need for nutritional monitoring and preventive strategies tailored to the sociocultural context. Full article
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