Prospective Association between Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Health-Related Quality of Life in Spanish Children

Abstract

Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) is gaining attention in children and adolescents because it is an important outcome of their health status and well-being. Therefore, it is important to identify determinants for HRQoL. Currently, there is scarce and mainly cross-sectional evidence on the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and HRQoL in children and adolescents. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to assess the prospective association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and HRQoL in Spanish children. The study was carried out in 1371 children aged 8 to 10 from different Catalan elementary schools with a medium follow-up of 15 months. The KidMed and KIDSCREEN-10 questionnaires were used to assess the relationship between diet and HRQoL, respectively. The KidMed score at baseline was positively associated with HRQoL (β = 0.320; 95% CI 0.101–0.540) after adjusting for confounders. Additionally, the logistic regression analysis showed positive associations between baseline consumption of fruit, vegetables, pulses, and high adherence to the Mediterranean diet and HRQoL at follow-up (p < 0.05 for all) while the consumption of fast-food, pasta or rice, baked good or pastries, and sweets were negatively correlated (p < 0.05 for all) with HRQoL at follow-up. In conclusion, adherence of the Mediterranean diet was predictive for HRQoL in Spanish children, but further prospective studies are needed to confirm this result.

Perceived Quality of Life Is Related to a Healthy Lifestyle and Related Outcomes in Spanish Children and Adolescents: The Physical Activity, Sedentarism, and Obesity in Spanish Study

“…This aligns with earlier observations made in Spanish adolescents, where a similar positive association between HRQoL and MedDiet adherence was documented [22,23]. Moreover, the influence of specific dietary components is emphasized, with the consumption of fruits, vegetables, and legumes emerging as notable contributors to a high perceived HRQoL, consistent with previous research highlighting their positive impact [24]. Another study found a positive association between HRQoL and the fruit and vegetable portion of the diet [50].…”

“…Previous studies [6,[22][23][24][25][26][27][28] analysed the association between HRQoL and healthy lifestyle outcomes, but they were conducted using a regional sample, assessed only one outcome, were not in a national representative wide sample of the Spanish child and adolescent population, and did not assess the association between HRQoL and healthy lifestyle outcomes.…”

The Role of Diet in Children with Psoriasis: Emerging Evidence and Current Issues

“…All studies analyzed the association with linear regression and eight used adjusted models: among the latter, five found a significant positive association between DM adherence and HRQoL (with β values ranging from 0.13 to 0.26), two found a non-significant positive relationship, while one found a negative association. Recently, a positive correlation between MD adherence and HRQoL in both children and adolescents was suggested [ 39 , 40 ].…”

Post-Pandemic Feeding Patterns and Mediterranean Diet Adherence in Spanish Toddlers

“…Establishing healthy habits from the first stages of life yields a large number of benefits. Adherence to Mediterranean diets during childhood and adolescence improves not only the child's nutritional status but also their quality of life and general well-being [27,28]. This long-term health influence has been demonstrated in several studies, reinforcing the positive influence a balanced diet has on decreasing the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, or obesity [29][30][31][32].In addition to increasing healthy feeding habits, another possibility for improving the nutritional status of toddlers and mitigating the risk of developing potential nutritional imbalances or deficiencies could come in the form of increasing adapted milk consumption [24,33].…”