Search Results (617)

Background/Objectives: Adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) are particularly vulnerable to psychological distress, disordered-eating (DE) risk and negative self-perceived health status (SPHS), which may compromise metabolic control and self-care. Although these factors have been studied individually, the usefulness of brief and clinically feasible screening tools to detect these dimensions remains underexplored. This study aimed to: (1) examine associations between distress, DE risk and SPHS; (2) explore their relationships with glycemic control, clinical profile and self-care; and (3) assess the influence of age and diabetes duration on these outcomes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 37 adolescents with T1DM in Spain. Sociodemographic, anthropometric and clinical variables were obtained from medical records. Distress, DE risk and self-care were assessed using validated questionnaires, while SPHS was measured using single-item question. Pearson and Spearman correlations were performed. Results: Distress was present in 48.6% of participants and DE risk in 29.7%, while 67.6% reported positive SPHS. Distress correlated with higher HbA1c and lower TIR. DE risk correlated with BMI. Lower SPHS was associated with higher HbA1c. Age and diabetes duration were associated with greater glycemic variability, and diabetes duration also correlated with higher glucose and TyG-based insulin resistance indexes. No significant associations were found for self-care behaviors. Conclusions: Distress, DE risk and SPHS, assessed through feasible screening tools, showed meaningful associations with metabolic outcomes in adolescents with T1DM. Integrating brief psychological screening tools into routine care may facilitate early identification of psychological vulnerability profiles in this population during routine practice. Full article

Background/Objectives: Diet quality among Mexican-born immigrant women may be influenced by food security (FS) and neighborhood food environment factors; however, these relationships remain understudied. This exploratory study examined differences in diet quality/dietary outcomes by FS status and explored the potential for perceived neighborhood food availability to modify the association between FS and diet quality. Methods: Mexican-born immigrant women (n = 57) self-reported FS, diet, and perceived neighborhood food availability. Diet was assessed using the Southwest Food Frequency Questionnaire to calculate the Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2020) score. The six-item USDA FS Scale was used to dichotomize FS as high or low. Independent t-tests assessed differences in HEI-2020; fast-food frequency; and intake of fruit, vegetables, salty snacks, and sugar by FS status. An exploratory regression analysis examined whether perceived food availability modified the association between FS and diet quality using complementary Bayesian techniques to improve efficiency given the small sample size. Results: Women experiencing low FS had lower HEI-2020 than those with high FS (62 ± 8 vs. 66 ± 6; p = 0.03), as well as non-significantly lower intakes of fruit (236 ± 178 vs. 294 ± 239 g), vegetables (303 ± 188 vs. 331 ± 199 g), and salty snacks (6 ± 5 vs. 8 ± 10 g) and higher intakes of sugar (99 ± 55 vs. 96 ± 56 g) and fast food (2.5 ± 2.5 vs. 1.8 ± 1.7 times/month). No statistically significant evidence of the perceived neighborhood food availability modifying the association between FS and diet quality was observed. Exploratory analysis suggested that among women experiencing low FS, HEI-2020 score varied by perceived neighborhood food availability (low: 57; moderate: 61; high: 65; p = 0.077). Bayesian analyses suggested a greater impact of perceived neighborhood food availability among women with low FS and lower diet quality. Conclusions: In this small sample of Mexican-born women, low FS was associated with lower diet quality. Although evidence of effect modification by perceived neighborhood food availability was not observed, exploratory findings suggest that it may influence diet quality among women experiencing low FS and warrant investigation in larger studies. Full article

Background/Objectives: Maternal overweight and obesity are increasing in Libya, yet multicity evidence among pregnant women remains limited, particularly regarding central adiposity and associations with socioeconomic characteristics, unhealthy eating behaviours (UEBs), physical inactivity, and sedentary behaviour. This study estimated the prevalence of women meeting standard WHO BMI cut-offs for overweight/obesity at antenatal assessment and examined associated socioeconomic, dietary, and lifestyle characteristics among women attending participating public antenatal clinics in six Eastern Libyan cities. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 3000 pregnant women attending participating public antenatal clinics in six Eastern Libyan cities. A multistage, city-stratified sampling strategy was used. Participants completed a structured Arabic questionnaire assessing socioeconomic characteristics, dietary intake, physical inactivity, and sedentary behaviour. Trained female nurses obtained standardised anthropometric measurements during antenatal assessment using the TANITA RD-545HR Smart Segmental Body Composition Analyser. Body mass index (BMI) was evaluated as an indicator of general pregnancy-period adiposity, while WC and BIA-derived visceral fat rating (VFR) were treated as complementary epidemiological indicators rather than precise or diagnostic measures of visceral adiposity. For each participant, BMI, WC, and VFR were obtained during the same antenatal assessment; however, participants were recruited across different gestational stages. Multivariable linear regression examined associations between the specified exposures and continuous adiposity measures, while modified Poisson regression with robust variance estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) for overweight/obesity after adjustment for age, parity, gestational stage, and relevant covariates. Results: Among the recruited antenatal clinic sample, 60.6% had BMI-defined overweight/obesity (95% CI: 58.9–62.3); using prespecified descriptive thresholds, 58.9% had WC ≥ 88 cm (95% CI: 57.1–60.7) and 52.1% had BIA-derived VFR ≥ 10 (95% CI: 50.3–53.9). Lower educational attainment (aPR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.15–1.35, p < 0.001) and lower household income (aPR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.09–1.27, p = 0.004) were independently associated with a higher prevalence of overweight/obesity. In the primary scale-level analyses, higher physical inactivity sedentary lifestyle scores (aPR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.03–1.05, p < 0.001) and higher UEBs scores (aPR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.05–1.09, p < 0.001) were associated with a higher prevalence of BMI-defined overweight/obesity. In secondary exploratory item-level analyses, prolonged mobile phone use showed the strongest lifestyle association (aPR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.20–1.41, p < 0.001), while consuming fewer than five daily portions of fruit and vegetables demonstrated the strongest dietary association (aPR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.24–1.49, p = 0.003). The full adjusted models accounted for 6.4–17.6% of variance in the continuous adiposity measures, indicating limited-to-modest explanatory power. Conclusions: BMI-defined weight status and elevated pregnancy-period adiposity indicators were common among women attending participating public antenatal services across six Eastern Libyan cities and were associated with socioeconomic disadvantage, sedentary behaviour, and poorer diet quality. The BMI-based classification reflects weight status at antenatal assessment and should not be interpreted as pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity prevalence. Full article

Background: Food noise describes persistent, intrusive thoughts about food, eating, and cravings that occur in the absence of physiological hunger. Its occurrence among healthcare students and professionals in Saudi Arabia is unknown. This study measured food noise in this group in Al-Ahsa, described the proportion meeting study-defined severity thresholds, and identified its main correlates. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, healthcare students and professionals in Al-Ahsa completed a bilingual (Arabic–English) electronic questionnaire capturing demographic and lifestyle characteristics, a 14-item food noise scale adapted from the Food Thought Suppression Inventory (each item rated 1–5; total range 14–70), the SCOFF eating disorder screen, and the four-item Perceived Stress Scale. The factor structure of the food noise scale was examined by exploratory factor analysis with parallel analysis and random split-half replication. Severity was graded from the mean item score as low, moderate, or high using exploratory thresholds, and associations were tested using t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, the Pearson correlation, and complete-case multivariable linear regression with robust standard errors and six sensitivity analyses. Results: Among 593 participants (mean age 25.7 years; 67.5% women; 60.0% students), the food noise scale was unidimensional (Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin 0.95; one eigenvalue above both unity and the parallel analysis threshold; 41.8% of variance explained; loadings 0.50 to 0.74) and internally consistent (Cronbach alpha 0.91). The mean total score was 41.9 (standard deviation 12.7). At least moderate food noise was present in 75.9% of participants (95% CI 72.3 to 79.2) and high food noise in 29.0% (95% CI 25.5 to 32.8). A positive SCOFF screen was recorded in 70.2% (95% CI 66.3 to 73.7), and the mean perceived stress score was 8.1 (standard deviation 2.8). In the adjusted model (n = 573; unadjusted R-squared 0.279, adjusted R-squared 0.266), food noise was independently associated with the SCOFF score (B 3.85 per point) and perceived stress (B 0.69 per point), both of which held across every sensitivity analysis, although both relationships proved concave rather than linear. Weaker associations with age (B 0.19 per year) and any night shift work (B 2.45) did not survive alternative model specifications, and crude differences by sex, role, weekly hours, and fasting did not persist after adjustment. Conclusions: Food noise was common in this sample and tracked eating disorder risk and perceived stress more closely than demographic or occupational characteristics. Because recruitment was by convenience and the severity thresholds are exploratory rather than validated, the proportions reported here describe this sample and should not be read as population prevalence. The findings provide a first benchmark for the construct in this population and support attention to the cognitive dimension of eating within health professions settings. Full article

Objectives: This study examined the within-person longitudinal associations between obesity-related eating behaviors and physical activity among community-dwelling Chinese older adults. Methods: Three waves of data were collected at three-month intervals from 1256 adults aged 65 years or older across 17 urban and rural communities. Physical activity was measured using the Physical Activity Rating Scale-3, and obesity-related eating behaviors were assessed using the seven-item Sakata Eating Behavior Scale Short Form. The eating-behavior scale was reverse-scored so that higher scores represented fewer problematic behaviors. The analysis examined longitudinal measurement invariance, gender differences, and prospective within-person associations using a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model. Results: The analysis identified small reciprocal within-person associations between obesity-related eating behaviors and physical activity. Occasions characterized by fewer problematic eating behaviors than usual were followed by higher-than-usual physical activity at the next wave. Higher-than-usual physical activity was likewise followed by fewer problematic eating behaviors. These associations remained similar after adjustment for the available demographic covariates. Men reported higher average physical activity, while women reported fewer problematic eating behaviors, but changes over time did not differ by gender. Conclusions: Physical activity and obesity-related eating behaviors showed small bidirectional within-person associations across three-month intervals. This reciprocal pattern suggests that the two behaviors are modestly connected within everyday routines and supports examining them together when studying health behavior dynamics in later life. Full article

Rapid weight loss (RWL) is commonly practiced among combat sports athletes to reduce body mass before competition. The Rapid Weight Loss Questionnaire (RWLQ) is a self-report instrument designed to assess weight loss behaviors and practices. This study aimed to translate and culturally adapt the RWLQ into Greek (RWLQ-GR), evaluate its psychometric properties, and examine the prevalence, magnitude, and methods of RWL among Greek-speaking combat sports athletes. The translation and cultural adaptation process followed established international guidelines. Measurement properties were examined in terms of test–retest reliability, known-groups and convergent validity. A total of 209 Greek-speaking combat sports athletes were included in the final analysis, of whom 34 completed the questionnaire twice for the test–retest reliability assessment. Overall, 92% of participants reported engaging in weight loss before competition, with a median body mass reduction of 4.5%. The RWLQ-GR demonstrated high test–retest reliability for numerical items and total score. Categorical items showed fair to excellent reliability. No systematic differences were observed between repeated administrations of the questionnaire. The questionnaire differentiated athletes according to their usual weight loss, providing supportive evidence for known-group validity. Evidence of convergent validity was limited: the RWLQ-GR total score was not associated with the EAT-26 total score and correlated weakly with the Bulimia and Food Preoccupation subscale only. Overall, these findings support the use of the RWLQ-GR for the assessment and surveillance of self-reported RWL behaviors in Greek-speaking combat sports athletes. Full article

Background: Rural Appalachian communities experience high rates of food insecurity, poor diet quality, and chronic disease. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) and policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) approaches may improve nutrition-related outcomes through locally tailored interventions. This study evaluated the impact of Laurel HARVEST (Helping Appalachia Restore a Vibrant Food Environment for Self-Sufficiency, Together) on dietary quality and food security in Appalachian Kentucky. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in Laurel County, Kentucky (intervention) and Pike County, Kentucky (comparison). Adults aged ≥18 years were recruited at baseline (2022–2023) and followed through 2025. CBPR-guided interventions included nutrition education, recipe card dissemination, raised bed gardens, and community mini-grants. Outcomes included Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores derived from 24 h dietary recalls, dermal carotenoid concentrations measured using the Veggie Meter^®, and food security assessed with the USDA 10-item Household Food Security Module. Results: A total of 282 participants were enrolled at baseline (Laurel n = 121; Pike n = 161), and 147 completed follow-up assessments. Dermal carotenoid scores increased significantly more in Laurel County (37.3 points) than in Pike County (13.3 points) (p = 0.032). No significant between-county differences were observed for total HEI score or food security. Conclusions: CBPR-driven, multilevel interventions were associated with modest improvements in fruit and vegetable intake but did not significantly improve overall dietary quality or food security. Longer-term structural and policy-level approaches may be needed to address nutrition and food access challenges in rural Appalachian communities. Full article

Background: School-based sustainable and healthy diet (SHD) interventions often inadequately capture the multidimensional nature of sustainability, with socioeconomic and cultural dimensions frequently underrepresented. While digital interventions can facilitate the integration of multiple SHD components, maintaining user engagement remains a persistent challenge that can compromise intervention effectiveness. Digital serious games represent a promising intervention strategy that can address both limitations by delivering multidimensional SHD content through interactive and engaging learning, while enabling real-time behavioral monitoring. Objectives: To assess the feasibility, as well as the acceptability and user experience of “Sustainable ePlate”, a web-based serious game for multidimensional SHD educational interventions in schools, during school-based sessions. Methods: Sustainable ePlate integrates food-level sustainability indicators into a scaffolded nine-challenge serious game. Challenges are presented through the healthy eating plate structure, while addressing eight food-level sustainability indicators transformed into 1–5 ordinal game scores. A database of 138 food items was developed from publicly available LCA and TCA databases. The game design draws on established learning theories implemented through progressive challenge sequencing, tiered feedback, and social features. Feasibility was assessed in guided school sessions in Northern Greece using the eGameFlow questionnaire and system in-app metrics. Results: The assessment sample comprised n = 59 students from two secondary schools, of whom n = 57 completed the eGameFlow questionnaire. Mean overall enjoyment was 82.54 ± 16.33%. Mean session duration was 22.39 ± 12.68 min. Across all sessions, 6003 food selections were recorded, with 5179 correct and 824 incorrect placements, corresponding to an 86.27% placement accuracy rate. In-app metrics indicated strong technical feasibility, with all sessions completing the full game sequence. Behavioral metrics demonstrated active interaction, characterized by placement interval duration, hesitation times, and high placement accuracy. Conclusions: Sustainable ePlate demonstrated feasibility and a positive user experience as a school-based serious game for multidimensional SHD education, and as a research platform for capturing in-app behavioral metrics. Further studies are required to assess its educational effectiveness in improving knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to sustainable healthy diets through pre–post design interventions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Insufficient vegetable and fruit (VF) consumption during adolescence increases the risk of diet-related non-communicable diseases, yet no pooled, survey-weighted analysis of VF intake exists for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. This study estimated the prevalence and correlates of VF consumption among adolescents in the GCC countries. Methods: Cross-sectional data from the most recent Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) in five GCC countries—Bahrain (2016), Kuwait (2015), Oman (2015), Qatar (2011), and the United Arab Emirates (UAE; 2016)—were pooled (n = 21,528 school-going adolescents aged 12–18 years); GSHS data were not available for Saudi Arabia. The primary outcome was consuming VF five or more times per day. Because the GSHS items record the frequency of eating occasions and not portion size, this is a frequency-based proxy for the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation of at least 400 g per day. Survey-weighted prevalence estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) from Poisson regression models were computed, overall and by sex. Results: The weighted prevalence of consuming VF on five or more occasions per day ranged from 15.5% (95% CI: 13.2–18.1) in Kuwait to 25.2% (95% CI: 22.6–28.0) in Qatar and was higher among boys than girls in all five countries. The outcome was less prevalent at older ages (aPR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.56–0.79 for 16–18 years vs. ≤12 years), among adolescents reporting low parental support (aPR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.76–0.95), and among those who were not physically active daily (aPR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.62–0.74) and was more prevalent among boys (aPR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.08–1.29). Conclusions: Fewer than one in four adolescents in the GCC countries consumed VF on five or more occasions per day. Multicomponent school-based and family-engaging interventions are needed, particularly for girls and older adolescents. Full article

Background: Dietary behaviors are important modifiable factors related to health and well-being. Sports volunteers represent a population involved in sport-related environments, yet limited evidence is available regarding their specific dietary behaviors and their associations with sociodemographic characteristics. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 297 sports volunteers (184 women, 113 men) at international sporting events in Poznan, Poland. Twenty specific dietary behaviors, including meal frequency, consumption of fruits, vegetables, cereal products, meat, dairy products, fish, sweets, sugar-sweetened beverages, salty snacks, ready-made meals, legumes, water, and selected eating behaviors, were assessed using a 20-item dietary habits questionnaire developed in accordance with dietary recommendations of the National Institute of Public Health and the National Center for Nutrition Education in Poland. Gender, age, educational attainment, and BMI were recorded. Chi-square tests were used to examine bivariate associations between each dietary behavior and sociodemographic characteristics. Multivariable logistic regression models were subsequently applied to dietary behaviors showing statistically significant bivariate associations. Results: Of the 20 dietary behaviors assessed, only a small number varied significantly according to sociodemographic characteristics. Women reported higher adherence to daily fruit consumption (46.8% vs. 28.1%; p = 0.002) and daily consumption of at least three portions of vegetables (44.1% vs. 28.9%; p = 0.013) than men. Participants aged 18 years differed from older age groups in daily fruit consumption and limiting meat consumption to no more than once per day (p < 0.05). Educational attainment was associated with daily fruit consumption, with participants with primary education reporting higher adherence than those with higher education (48.8% vs. 25.3%; p = 0.011). BMI was associated with several dietary behaviors, including fruit consumption, avoiding snacking between meals, and portion control (p < 0.05). In multivariable analyses, female gender remained independently associated with fruit and vegetable consumption, while younger age was independently associated with daily fruit consumption and lower meat consumption. BMI remained independently associated with daily fruit consumption, whereas educational attainment was no longer significantly associated with dietary behaviors after adjustment. Conclusions: Most of the 20 dietary behaviors assessed did not differ significantly according to the examined sociodemographic characteristics. The observed associations were limited to selected behaviors and varied by gender, age, educational attainment, and BMI. Further research should examine additional factors, including physical activity, volunteering characteristics, and socioeconomic conditions, that may contribute to dietary behaviors among sports volunteers. Full article

Background/Objectives: Nutrition during school age is a key public health issue, as eating habits formed in this period may affect growth, cognitive development, and future health. This study aimed to assess food consumption frequency and age, gender, and socio-demographic differences in dietary patterns among schoolchildren aged 7–17 years in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among schoolchildren aged 7–17 years attending state secondary schools in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, from September 2025 to February 2026. Food consumption frequency was assessed using a bilingual Russian–Kazakh questionnaire developed by the authors based on food frequency questionnaire approaches and adapted to the Kazakhstani context; the questionnaire included 41 food items, including national meat products and traditional fermented milk drinks, and Principal Component Analysis was applied to identify dietary patterns. Results: A total of 864 schoolchildren aged 7–17 years were included in the study, with comparable distribution by sex and age groups. Frequent consumption of fast food, coffee, processed and canned meat products increased markedly with age, while consumption of milk, fermented dairy products, juices, fresh fish and berries was lower, especially among older adolescents. Principal Component Analysis identified three dietary patterns—“processed and fast-food”, “traditional meat-based”, and “mixed dairy-based pattern”—with the processed and fast-food pattern more strongly associated with older age, non-Kazakh ethnicity, and school location in the South-East district. Conclusions: The findings indicate age-related shifts toward less balanced dietary choices among Karaganda schoolchildren, particularly among adolescents, supporting the need for targeted school- and family-based interventions to reduce fast food, sugary drink, coffee, and processed meat consumption while promoting healthier food choices. Full article

Background: Educational workplace dietary interventions have emerged as a promising approach to supporting occupational well-being among healthcare professionals. This scoping review mapped and synthesized the available evidence on such interventions across healthcare settings. Methods: A scoping review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library were searched for studies published between December 2020 and March 2026. Thirteen studies met the predefined eligibility criteria. Results: Across the included studies, healthcare professionals exhibited irregular eating patterns, meal skipping, and suboptimal dietary behaviours associated with occupational stress. Educational workplace interventions combining nutrition education with behavioural, organizational, and lifestyle components were associated with improved nutrition knowledge, dietary behaviours, selected health indicators, and occupational well-being. Thematic synthesis identified workplace organization, behavioural determinants, and organizational support as key influences on dietary practices and professional well-being. Conclusions: Workplace nutrition should be considered an integral component of occupational health rather than solely an individual lifestyle behaviour. The proposed Workplace Nutritional Resilience framework highlights the potential contribution of educational, behavioural, and organizational strategies to occupational well-being. Further longitudinal and intervention studies in specific healthcare professions are warranted, particularly among dental professionals. Full article

Background/Objectives: Burnout and eating-disorder screening risk are relevant concerns among health sciences students, but evidence from northern Peru remains limited. The primary objective was to examine whether an archived study-specific burnout classification (independent/explanatory variable) was associated with probable eating-disorder symptomatology (dependent/outcome variable) among students enrolled in Human Medicine, Nursing, and Dentistry. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a private university in the Lambayeque Region, Peru, during the 2023-II academic semester. The analytical sample comprised 200 students. Eating-disorder screening was assessed with the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26), and burnout was assessed with a 22-item Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) version. The revision uses retained aggregate outputs because individual-level item data are no longer available. Results: Seventy-four students (37.0%) were in the archived probable eating-disorder symptomatology category. The corresponding proportions were 0/53 (0.0%) in the study-specific low MBI category, 21/80 (26.3%) in the medium category, and 53/67 (79.1%) in the high category (chi-square = 86.05, p < 0.001; Cramer’s V = 0.656). Exploratory differences were also observed by sex, living arrangement, academic program, employment status, study time, and sleep duration. Conclusions: The archived categorical results show a strong bivariate association between the two study-specific screening classifications. Because the design was cross-sectional and non-probabilistic and the item-level data needed to verify instrument scoring and reliability are unavailable, the findings should not be interpreted as causal or diagnostic. Full article

Background/Objectives: Disordered eating behaviours are increasingly common among young adults, yet nutrition-focused, region-specific data from Romania and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) remain scarce. We characterised nutritional patterns, weight-control practices, disordered-eating indicators, body image, and psychosocial factors among Romanian young adults and tested how these differed across body mass index (BMI) categories. Methods: In a cross-sectional online survey (March–April 2026), 753 Romanian adults aged 18–30 years (93.5% female) completed a 30-item questionnaire. Self-reported anthropometric measurements were classified using WHO BMI cutoffs. Prevalences (with Wilson 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) were compared across BMI categories using the chi-square test, and multivariable logistic regression, adjusted for age and sex, estimated odds ratios (ORs). Results: Most participants were normal weight (59.1%); 11.6% were underweight, 29.3% were overweight or obese, and 86.3% were omnivorous. Dietary restriction (57.4%) and physical exercise (46.7%) were the leading weight-control methods; self-induced vomiting (6.4%) and medication (4.5%) were less frequent. Lifetime compulsive/emotional eating was reported by 50.1%, current stress-related eating by 49.1%, and guilt after eating by 66.1%. Lifetime night eating reached 31.9% (current, 12.9%). Body dissatisfaction (36.1% “not at all satisfied”), difficulty looking in the mirror (66.7%) and self-reported stress (82.2%) were widespread. In adjusted models, dietary restriction, emotional eating and guilt after eating rose steeply and monotonically with BMI (overweight/obesity vs. normal weight: aOR 2.34, 2.49 and 2.73, respectively; all p < 0.001), whereas current night eating and frequent self-weighing did not differ across BMI categories (p = 0.92 and p = 0.82). Dietary restriction increased from 24.1% in underweight to 55.5% in normal-weight and 74.2% in overweight/obesity participants; corresponding gradients were also observed for emotional eating and food-related guilt. Conclusions: In this predominantly female, largely urban online convenience sample of Romanian young adults, self-reported behavioural risk indicators related to disordered eating were common. Restriction, emotional eating and food-related guilt increased with BMI, whereas night eating and self-weighing showed no clear BMI gradient. These findings should be interpreted cautiously and should not be generalised to Romanian young men or rural populations without confirmation in more representative samples. Full article

Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often follow restrictive diets. Data on dietary habits and beliefs in pediatric IBD are scarce. Our aim was to assess dietary habits, beliefs, and knowledge regarding nutrition and IBD among children with IBD. Method: In this single-center, cross-sectional study, pediatric patients aged 12–18 years with IBD completed a non-scoring, 25-item questionnaire assessing general dietary habits, beliefs about diet’s role in IBD pathogenesis and treatment, food avoidance, and food-related experiences since diagnosis. Results: We included 72 IBD patients (mean age [SD]: 15.2 [2.3] years; 41 (57%) were male, 32 (45%) had Crohn’s disease (CD)). Almost half of the participants did not believe that eating habits contributed to the pathogenesis of IBD. One-third of patients considered diet to be more important than medication. Approximately two-thirds changed their eating habits after diagnosis, regardless of disease type (χ²: 0.70, p = 0.40), or induction therapy (nutritional vs. non-nutritional, χ²: 0.02, p = 0.88). At least one food was avoided by 65% of the participants. Conclusions: Most children have changed their dietary habits and avoided one or more food groups. The type of induction therapy did not relate to the knowledge and dietary beliefs after induction. Our findings suggest that repeated education and dietary counseling should be an integral part of the management of pediatric IBD. Full article