Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
9.2
4.8
Journals
Nutrients
Special Issues
The Impact of Children’s and Adolescents’ Diet, Nutrition and Lifestyle...
nutrients-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Nutrients Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

The Impact of Children’s and Adolescents’ Diet, Nutrition and Lifestyle Habits on Physical and Mental Health: From the Latest Perspective

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 August 2025 | Viewed by 5435

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Bogdana Adriana Nǎsui

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Community Health, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca, 6 Louis Pasteur Street, 400349 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: diet; nutritious status; physical activity; screen time; sleep; bullying; risky behaviours; wellbeing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Lifestyle choices are important determinants of health outcomes in children and adolescents and the key components of a healthy lifestyle include optimal nutrition, maintaining a normal weight, promoting an active lifestyle and avoidance of tobacco, alcohol and other substances of abuse. Excessive screen time also impacts multiple developmental domains in children's cognitive, linguistic, physical and socio-emotional domains. Sleep is another component of a healthy lifestyle in children and children who regularly get the right amount of sleep benefit from better attention, behaviour, learning ability, memory and overall better mental health and academic performance. Conversely, sleep deprivation can lead to high blood pressure, obesity, and depression. Many studies have shown that children and adolescents eat less than the daily recommended amount of fruit and vegetables, and consume too many sugary foods or beverages, which can promote chronic diseases. Targeting children and young adults is essential as studies have demonstrated that eating and lifestyle habits established in early adolescence tend to continue into adulthood. Early childhood maltreatment can have an impact on health and emotional well-being and those who are bullied are at increased risk of suffering from mental health problems and problems adjusting to school.

Dr. Bogdana Adriana Nǎsui
Guest Editor

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. Nutrients 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
  • nutritious status
  • physical activity
  • screen time
  • sleep
  • bullying
  • risky behaviours
  • wellbeing

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

13 pages, 259 KiB  
Article
Diet, Eating Habits, and Lifestyle Factors Associated with Adequate Sleep Duration in Children and Adolescents Living in 5 Mediterranean Countries: The DELICIOUS Project
by Justyna Godos, Alice Rosi, Francesca Scazzina, Maria Antonieta Touriz Bonifaz, Francesca Giampieri, Osama Abdelkarim, Achraf Ammar, Mohamed Aly, Evelyn Frias-Toral, Juancho Pons, Laura Vázquez-Araújo, Josep Alemany-Iturriaga, Lorenzo Monasta, Ana Mata, Adrián Chacón, Pablo Busó and Giuseppe Grosso
Nutrients 2025, 17(7), 1242; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17071242 - 2 Apr 2025
Viewed by 522
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Sleep is a fundamental physiological function that plays a crucial role in maintaining health and well-being. The aim of this study was to assess dietary and lifestyle factors associated with adequate sleep duration in children and adolescents living in five Mediterranean [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Sleep is a fundamental physiological function that plays a crucial role in maintaining health and well-being. The aim of this study was to assess dietary and lifestyle factors associated with adequate sleep duration in children and adolescents living in five Mediterranean countries. Methods: Parents of children and adolescents taking part in an initial survey for the DELICIOUS project were examined to assess their children’s dietary and eating habits (i.e., meal routines), as well as other lifestyle behaviors (i.e., physical activity levels, screen time, etc.) potentially associated with adequate sleep duration (defined as 8–10 h according to the National Sleep Foundation). The youth healthy eating index (Y-HEI) was used to assess the diet quality of children and adolescents. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), indicating the level of association between variables. Results: A total of 2011 individuals participated in the survey. The adolescents and children of younger parents reported being more likely to have inadequate sleep duration. Among eating behaviors, having breakfast (OR = 2.23, 95% CI: 1.62, 3.08) and eating at school (OR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.74) were associated with adequate sleep duration. In contrast, children eating alone, screen time, and eating outside of the home were less likely to have adequate sleep duration, although these findings were only significant in the unadjusted model. After adjusting for covariates, a better diet quality (OR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.24, 2.16), including higher intake of fruits, meat, fish, and whole grains, was associated with adequate sleep duration. Conclusions: Adequate sleep duration seems to be highly influenced by factors related to individual lifestyles, family and school eating behaviors, as well as diet quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Children’s and Adolescents’ Diet, Nutrition and Lifestyle Habits on Physical and Mental Health: From the Latest Perspective)
12 pages, 243 KiB  
Article
Prospective Study of Urinary Stone Formation in Pediatric Patients with Acquired Brain Injury: A Focus on Incidence and Analysis of Risk Factors
by Sara Galbiati, Federica Locatelli, Fabio Alexander Storm, Marco Pozzi and Sandra Strazzer
Nutrients 2025, 17(5), 883; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17050883 - 28 Feb 2025
Viewed by 529
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Little is known about the factors linked with nutrition, infections, and physical activity, which may influence urinary stone formation in patients with acquired brain injury. Previous studies have demonstrated that enteral nutrition mixtures rich in sodium and poor in calcium may [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Little is known about the factors linked with nutrition, infections, and physical activity, which may influence urinary stone formation in patients with acquired brain injury. Previous studies have demonstrated that enteral nutrition mixtures rich in sodium and poor in calcium may promote stone formation in pediatric patients, but a confirmation study is lacking. Moreover, the occurrence of urinary stones and heterotopic ossifications has not been studied regarding incidence. We thus conducted a prospective observational study in an unselected pediatric population with acquired brain injury, to estimate the incidence of urinary stones and heterotopic ossifications and analyze the associated factors. Methods: Prospective observational study: We recruited all patients with enteral nutrition consecutively admitted to our brain injury rehabilitation unit during a 5-year time-frame. We collected clinical data regarding nutrition, infections, blood and urine exams performed, neurological examinations, and physical examinations. Results: The prospective design allowed us to observe that no patient developed heterotopic ossifications, while urinary stones were found in 12.5% of patients and gravel in 14.6%. Factors associated with stone formation were having a worse subacute GCS, having done intense physical activity before injury, receiving bladder catheterizations, having a higher urine pH, and having higher blood potassium levels. The composition of the enteral nutrition did not influence stone formation, although the nutrition mixtures contained levels of vitamin C and proteins considerably higher than the recommended reference ranges. Conclusions: We have provided an observation of the incidence of urolithiasis in pediatric patients in rehabilitation, which was lacking from the literature. Enteral nutrition, at the amounts received by the patients studied herein, does not seem to have a role in stone formation. We identified a set of risk factors that can be useful for clinicians to pinpoint patients at an increased risk of developing stones. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Children’s and Adolescents’ Diet, Nutrition and Lifestyle Habits on Physical and Mental Health: From the Latest Perspective)
17 pages, 315 KiB  
Article
Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Spanish University Students: Association with Lifestyle Habits, Mental and Emotional Well-Being
by Gloria Tomás-Gallego, Josep María Dalmau-Torres, Raúl Jiménez-Boraita, Javier Ortuño-Sierra and Esther Gargallo-Ibort
Nutrients 2025, 17(4), 698; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17040698 - 15 Feb 2025
Viewed by 940
Abstract
Background: The Mediterranean Diet is recognized as one of the healthiest dietary patterns; however, in recent years, a decline in adherence has been observed in Mediterranean countries. University students represent a particularly vulnerable population, as starting university introduces new influences and responsibilities [...] Read more.
Background: The Mediterranean Diet is recognized as one of the healthiest dietary patterns; however, in recent years, a decline in adherence has been observed in Mediterranean countries. University students represent a particularly vulnerable population, as starting university introduces new influences and responsibilities that directly impact their lifestyle and health. Objective: Analyze adherence to the Mediterranean Diet among university students and its association with other lifestyle habits and mental and physical health indicators. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 1268 students (23.65 ± 7.84 years) from a university in northern Spain between November 2020 and March 2021. An online questionnaire was administered to assess Mediterranean Diet adherence along with variables such as perceived stress, self-esteem, life satisfaction, suicidal behavior, emotional and behavioral problems, emotional intelligence, physical activity, sedentary behavior, alcohol consumption, and compulsive internet use. Results: 29.26% of students had high adherence to the Mediterranean Diet. Regression analysis indicated that high adherence was associated with higher levels of emotional intelligence, as well as lower levels of suicidal ideation, emotional problems, and compulsive internet use. Conclusions: The associations found between Mediterranean Diet and other indicators and lifestyle habits highlight the need for interdisciplinary promotion strategies within the university ecosystem. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Children’s and Adolescents’ Diet, Nutrition and Lifestyle Habits on Physical and Mental Health: From the Latest Perspective)
20 pages, 927 KiB  
Article
Beyond BMI: Exploring Adolescent Lifestyle and Health Behaviours in Transylvania, Romania
by Alexandra-Ioana Roșioară, Bogdana Adriana Năsui, Nina Ciuciuc, Dana Manuela Sîrbu, Daniela Curșeu, Ștefan Cristian Vesa, Codruța Alina Popescu, Andreea Bleza and Monica Popa
Nutrients 2025, 17(2), 268; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17020268 - 13 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1502
Abstract
Background/Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the lifestyle and the behavioral factors that influence the nutritional status of adolescents from Transylvania, Romania. Methods: The Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS) was used to collect data from 900 adolescents between 11 and 18 years [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the lifestyle and the behavioral factors that influence the nutritional status of adolescents from Transylvania, Romania. Methods: The Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS) was used to collect data from 900 adolescents between 11 and 18 years old from the Transylvania region, Romania. This study assessed nutritional status by calculating BMI indicators adjusted to Z-Score, cut-off points according to the World Health Organization (WHO), using self-reported weight and height; perceived health status; food vulnerability; physical activity; addictive behaviors (cigarette, alcohol and drug consumption); number of hours spent in front of the computer/phone; hand and oral hygiene; sitting time/day; and sleep. Multivariate logistic regression was used to establish the lifestyle factors that influenced nutritional status. Results: The results showed that 8.7% (n = 78) of girls and 15.2% (n = 137) boys were overweight and obese. In total, 75% of the respondents were engaged in sedentary behaviors, and 65.8% (n = 592) had more than 2 h/day of screen exposure, considering that 98.7% of the study population had a mobile phone. The Romanian adolescents had poor dietary behaviors: over 80% of them did not meet the recommended amount of vegetable and fruit intake per day. Increased BMI was associated with higher-strength physical exercise and with being a boy. Conclusions: While some positive trends are evident, such as good oral and hand hygiene and low prevalence of smoking and drug use, significant challenges remain in areas like nutrition, physical activity, alcohol consumption and screen time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Children’s and Adolescents’ Diet, Nutrition and Lifestyle Habits on Physical and Mental Health: From the Latest Perspective)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 1025 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Increased Physical Activity at School on the Nutritional Behavior and BMI of 13-Year-Olds
by Katarzyna Ługowska, Elżbieta Krzęcio-Nieczyporuk, Joanna Trafiałek and Wojciech Kolanowski
Nutrients 2024, 16(24), 4329; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16244329 - 15 Dec 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1341
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Diet and physical activity (PA) significantly impact health. Unfortunately, a worrying trend of decreasing PA among children and adolescents, accompanied by unhealthy nutritional behavior, is observed worldwide. The aim of the study was to evaluate the nutritional behavior and body mass [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Diet and physical activity (PA) significantly impact health. Unfortunately, a worrying trend of decreasing PA among children and adolescents, accompanied by unhealthy nutritional behavior, is observed worldwide. The aim of the study was to evaluate the nutritional behavior and body mass index (BMI) of adolescents aged 13 years in groups of extended and standard PA at school. Methods: The study was conducted in six schools among adolescents born in 2007 (n = 213), in two groups of standard and extended PA at school (SPA and EPA), wherein each group received 4 and 10 h of physical education lessons per week, respectively. Their height and body mass were measured. BMI was calculated and compared with percentile charts. A questionnaire was used to assess nutritional behavior and extracurricular physical activity. Results: Approximately 62% of adolescents had a normal body weight, with SPA 58%, EPA 64%, overweight 13.63%, SPA 13.75%, EPA 13.50%, obesity 14.13%, SPA 19.25%, EPA 9%, and underweight 11.17%, SPA 8.85%, and EPA 13.50%. Among the potential health-promoting foods, dishes, and beverages, fruits and vegetables were the most frequently consumed items, whereas fish and legume dishes were the least consumed. Butter, white bread, sweets, cheeses, cold cuts, and sausages were all consumed very often. Fast food and lard were the least frequently consumed items. Conclusions: A significant proportion of 13-year-olds were overweight or obese. Extended PA had a beneficial effect on BMI, but it had little effect on nutritional behavior among the studied adolescents. The adolescents exhibited moderate nutritional behaviors; however, it was more favorable in those exposed to extended PA at school than those exposed to standard PA. It is possible to argue that extending organized PA at school leads to increased PA during leisure time. It is recommended to increase PA for adolescents by doubling the mandatory number of physical education lessons or other sports activities in the school curriculum. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Children’s and Adolescents’ Diet, Nutrition and Lifestyle Habits on Physical and Mental Health: From the Latest Perspective)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-5
Back to TopTop