Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
9.1
5.0
Journals
Nutrients
Special Issues
Nutrient Intake and Food Patterns in Students
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

Nutrient Intake and Food Patterns in Students

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 July 2026 | Viewed by 5431

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Lilian de Jonge

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, College of Public Health, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
Interests: energy and substrate metabolism; obesity; diabetes; circadian rhythm; school nutrition

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The dietary habits of students are critical factors influencing their overall health, cognitive development, and academic performance. As students navigate through various educational stages, their nutritional needs and food patterns evolve, shaped by a complex interplay of socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental factors. Understanding these dynamics is essential for developing effective interventions and policies aimed at promoting healthier eating habits among young people. We are pleased to announce a Special Issue, "Nutrient Intake and Food Patterns in Students", which aims to explore the diverse dietary habits and nutritional challenges faced by students across various educational levels. We invite researchers to submit original research articles and reviews that address topics such as the following:

  • Nutritional assessment and dietary surveys.
  • Impact of socioeconomic factors on student nutrition.
  • Innovative interventions to improve dietary habits.
  • Long-term health outcomes related to student food patterns.

Submissions should provide valuable insights into the current state of student nutrition and propose actionable strategies for improvement. We welcome contributions from a wide range of disciplines, including nutrition, public health, education, and social sciences.

Join us in advancing the understanding of student nutrition and contributing to healthier future generations.

Prof. Dr. Lilian de Jonge
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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

  • student nutrition
  • dietary habits
  • nutrient intake
  • food patterns
  • nutritional assessment
  • socioeconomic factors
  • cultural influences
  • school nutrition programs
  • academic performance
  • health outcomes

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.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

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

Published Papers (3 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

19 pages, 310 KB  
Article
Understanding Food Choices Among University Students: Dietary Identity, Decision-Making Motives, and Contextual Influences
by Ali Aboueldahab, Maria Elide Vanutelli, Marco D’Addario and Patrizia Steca
Nutrients 2026, 18(2), 228; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18020228 - 12 Jan 2026
Viewed by 736
Abstract
Background: Dietary habits established during young adulthood have long-term implications for health, and food choices among university students are strongly shaped by contextual factors. Institutional eating environments represent a relevant setting for promoting healthier dietary behaviors, yet limited evidence integrates students’ engagement with [...] Read more.
Background: Dietary habits established during young adulthood have long-term implications for health, and food choices among university students are strongly shaped by contextual factors. Institutional eating environments represent a relevant setting for promoting healthier dietary behaviors, yet limited evidence integrates students’ engagement with these settings, their food consumption patterns across contexts, and the individual decision-making processes underlying food choice. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed survey data from 1519 students enrolled at a large Italian university. Measures included sociodemographic characteristics, self-identified dietary style, engagement with the university canteen, consumption frequency of selected food categories across institutional and non-institutional contexts, and category-specific food-choice motivations. Data were analyzed using descriptive analyses, Borda count rankings, paired comparisons, and multiple linear regression models. Results: Clear contextual differences in food consumption emerged across all food categories, with consistently lower consumption frequencies within the university canteen compared to outside settings (all p < 0.001). The largest contextual gap was observed for fruit consumption (d = 0.94), with similarly pronounced differences for plant-based foods. Taste was the most salient decision-making factor across food categories (overall M ≈ 4.4), while health-related motives were more prominent for healthier foods and gratification for desserts. Across contexts, self-identified dietary style was the most consistent predictor of food consumption, explaining substantial variance for animal-based protein consumption (R2 = 0.293 in the canteen; R2 = 0.353 outside), whereas age and gender showed smaller, food-specific associations. Conclusions: The findings highlight institutional eating settings as distinct food environments in which individual dietary preferences are only partially expressed. Effective strategies to promote healthier eating among university students should move beyond generic approaches and integrate interventions targeting service-related engagement, category-specific choice architecture, and students’ dietary identities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrient Intake and Food Patterns in Students)
14 pages, 509 KB  
Article
Parental Culinary Skills and Children’s Eating Behavior in Brazil: A Cross-Sectional Study
by Thaís Souza dos Santos, Camila Ospina Ayala, Marina Zanette Peuckert, Carla Adriano Martins, Ana Maria Pandolfo Feoli, Micaella Bassanesi Bulla, João Pedro Soares Taffarel and Caroline Abud Drumond Costa
Nutrients 2026, 18(1), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18010051 - 23 Dec 2025
Viewed by 575
Abstract
Background: Childhood obesity is a persistent global health challenge, often rooted in early-life dietary patterns shaped within the home environment. Objective: To investigate the association between parents’ culinary skills, children’s eating behavior, and the degree of child involvement in family culinary practices. Methods: [...] Read more.
Background: Childhood obesity is a persistent global health challenge, often rooted in early-life dietary patterns shaped within the home environment. Objective: To investigate the association between parents’ culinary skills, children’s eating behavior, and the degree of child involvement in family culinary practices. Methods: A cross-sectional, analytical study. In the public and private schools in southern Brazil. A total of 205 families with children aged 3 to 13 years participated. Parents or caregivers answered a structured questionnaire on culinary skills and sociodemographic variables. Children’s eating behavior was assessed through the validated Brazilian version of the Children’s Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ). Student’s T test was used to compare means, and Pearson’s chi-square or Fisher’s exact test to compare proportions. Multivariate linear regression was applied to control for potential confounders. Analyses were conducted using SPSS version 27.0 and R software. Results: Most parents (90.7%) reported cooking regularly, and 65.9% involved children in cooking activities. The predominant culinary profile (40%) was classified as “convenience cooking,” marked by frequent use of processed ingredients. Healthier parental cooking practices were positively associated with adaptive eating behaviors in children, reflected by lower food fussiness, satiety responsiveness, food responsiveness and food refusal scores and higher enjoyment of food scores domains of the CEBQ. Conclusions: Despite the high prevalence of routine cooking, convenience-oriented practices remain dominant, reflecting broader sociocultural patterns. Engagement in healthier cooking practices was positively associated with more favorable eating behaviors in children. These findings underscore the importance of promoting culinary education and parental involvement in cooking as strategies to support healthy childhood eating behaviors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrient Intake and Food Patterns in Students)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

25 pages, 1098 KB  
Article
Association of Breakfast Food Types with Dietary Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Among School-Aged Children
by Siyao Zhou, Hanqing Zhao, Yu Xiao, Jie Li, Qiaoli Huang, Yufang Zhang, Fengfeng Guo, Beibei Xu, Haoyan Zou, Xiaoxia Huang, Sizhe Huang and Lijun Wang
Nutrients 2025, 17(15), 2424; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17152424 - 24 Jul 2025
Viewed by 3330
Abstract
Background: Skipping breakfast, a prevalent issue among children and adolescents, has been reported to be associated with academic performance and long-term health. However, less attention has been given to the types of breakfast foods consumed. Therefore, our study aims to investigate the association [...] Read more.
Background: Skipping breakfast, a prevalent issue among children and adolescents, has been reported to be associated with academic performance and long-term health. However, less attention has been given to the types of breakfast foods consumed. Therefore, our study aims to investigate the association between breakfast variety and dietary knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) among preadolescents. Methods: The study included 1449 students in grades 4–6 from Zhongshan city, Guangdong province. Data were collected through face-to-face field investigation using a validated questionnaire. The questionnaire encompassed sociodemographic characteristics, as well as dietary KAP. Results: Among all participants, 1315 reported consuming breakfast daily. Dietary diversity varied significantly: 8.8% consumed only 1 type of food, 52.9% consumed 2–4 types, and 38.3% consumed ≥5 types. Students who consumed a greater variety of breakfast foods exhibited more favorable dietary and lifestyle patterns. Specifically, those who consumed ≥5 types of food showed statistically significant associations with healthier practices, including reduced intake of sugary beverages and night snacks, stronger adherence to dietary guidelines, more positive attitudes toward improving eating habits, longer sleep durations, increased participation in meal preparation, greater dish variety in meals, and higher engagement in daily physical activity. Conclusions: Breakfast variety was associated with KAP, particularly when breakfast types ≥ 5, providing more sufficient and favorable evidence for breakfast consumption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrient Intake and Food Patterns in Students)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop