Examining the relationship between ultra-processed food consumption and quality of life among middle school students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51982/bagimli.613Abstract
Objective: With advancing technology and urbanization, traditional dietary habits are increasingly being replaced by ultra-processed foods (UPFs), which are practical, energy-dense, and low in nutritional value. Concerns have arisen that UPF consumption may adversely affect both physical and mental health in young people.
This study aimed to examine the relationships between UPF consumption, quality of life, psychological symptoms, and food addiction among middle school students.
Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study included 207 students 10–15 years aged (predominantly 11–14 years) attending schools in the Yüreğir district of Adana, Türkiye. Data were collected using a Sociodemographic Information Form, the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), KIDSCREEN-52, and the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale – Youth Version (RCADS-Y). Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 26.
Results: Overall, 46.9% of students met the YFAS diagnostic criteria for food addiction (≥3 symptoms plus clinically significant impairment/distress). UPF consumption frequency was negatively correlated with multiple health-related quality-of-life domains, including Physical Well-being (r = −0.45, p < 0.001), Moods & Emotions (r = −0.30, p < 0.001), Friends (r = −0.18, p = 0.012), and School Environment (r = −0.30, p < 0.001), while it was positively correlated with Bullying (r = 0.25, p = 0.001). UPF consumption was positively associated with food addiction (r = 0.424, p = 0.001). Family income level was significantly associated with UPF intake (p = 0.037), with the highest UPF consumption observed among middle-income households. No significant relationship was observed between BMI and food addiction status...
References
Amelia, F. (2025). Ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and the risk of mental health problems among adolescents: A narrative review. Jurnal Kesmas dan Gizi (JKG), 8(1), 192–199.
Asgari, E., Askari, M., Bellissimo, N., & Azadbakht, L. (2022). Association between ultra-processed food intake and overweight, obesity, and malnutrition among children in Tehran, Iran. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 2022(1), 8310260.
Askari, M., Heshmati, J., Shahinfar, H., Tripathi, N., & Daneshzad, E. (2020). Ultra-processed food and the risk of overweight and obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. International journal of obesity, 44(10), 2080-2091.
Baydur, H., Ergin, D., Gerçeklioğlu, G., & Eser, E. (2016). Reliability and validity study of the KIDSCREEN Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire in a Turkish child/adolescent population. Anadolu Psikiyatri Dergisi, 17(6), 496–504.
Bayraktar, F., Erkman, F., & Kurtuluş, E. (2012). Adaptation study of Yale food addiction Scale. Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 22, S38-S38.
Bhave, V. M., Oladele, C. R., Ament, Z., Kijpaisalratana, N., Jones, A. C., Couch, C. A., ... Kimberly, W. T. (2024). Associations between ultra-processed food consumption and adverse brain health outcomes. Neurology, 102(11), e209432. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000209432
Burrows, T., Kay‐Lambkin, F., Pursey, K., Skinner, J., & Dayas, C. (2018). Food addiction and associations with mental health symptoms: A systematic review with meta‐analysis. Journal of human nutrition and dietetics, 31(4), 544-572.
Buyuktuncer, Z., Akyol, A., Ayaz, A., Nergiz-Unal, R., Aksoy, B., Cosgun, E., Ozdemir, P., Pekcan, G., & Besler, H. T. (2019). Turkish version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale: preliminary results of factorial structure, reliability, and construct validity. Journal of health, population, and nutrition, 38(1), 42. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41043-019-0202-4
Çelik, B. (2023). Relationship between ultra-processed food consumption classified by NOVA system and body mass index in a private university (Master’s thesis). Yeditepe University, Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, İstanbul, Türkiye.
Chorpita, B. F., Yim, L., Moffitt, C., Umemoto, L. A., & Francis, S. E. (2000). Assessment of symptoms of DSM-IV anxiety and depression in children: A revised child anxiety and depression scale. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 38(8), 835–855.
da Costa Louzada, M. L., Ricardo, C. Z., Steele, E. M., Levy, R. B., Cannon, G., & Monteiro, C. A. (2018). The share of ultra-processed foods determines the overall nutritional quality of diets in Brazil. Public health nutrition, 21(1), 94-102.
Davis, C., Curtis, C., Levitan, R. D., Carter, J. C., Kaplan, A. S., & Kennedy, J. L. (2011). Evidence that “food addiction” is a valid phenotype of obesity. Appetite, 57(3), 711–717. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2011.08.017
Gearhardt, A. N., Corbin, W. R., & Brownell, K. D. (2009). Preliminary validation of the Yale Food Addiction Scale. Appetite, 52(2), 430–436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2008.12.003
Gearhardt, A. N., Yokum, S., Orr, P. T., Stice, E., Corbin, W. R., & Brownell, K. D. (2011). Neural correlates of food addiction. Archives of General Psychiatry, 68(8), 808–816.
Görmez, V., Kılınçaslan, A., Örengül, A. C., Ebesutani, C., Kaya, İ., Ceri, V., ... Chorpita, B. (2017). Psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale–Child Version in a clinical sample. Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 27(1), 84–92.
Hall, K. D., Ayuketah, A., Brychta, R., Cai, H., Cassimatis, T., Chen, K. Y., ... Darcey, V. (2019). Ultra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gain: An inpatient randomized controlled trial of ad libitum food intake. Cell Metabolism, 30(1), 67–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2019.05.008
Hutchinson, J., & Tarasuk, V. (2022). The relationship between diet quality and the severity of household food insecurity in Canada. Public Health Nutrition, 25(4), 1013–1026.
Kabasakal-Cetin, A., Aksaray, B., & Sen, G. (2024). The role of food literacy and sustainable and healthy eating behaviors in ultra-processed foods consumption of undergraduate students. Food Quality and Preference, 119, 105232.
Kuczmarski, R. J., Ogden, C. L., Grummer-Strawn, L. M., Flegal, K. M., Guo, S. S., Wei, R., Mei, Z., Curtin, L. R., Roche, A. F., & Johnson, C. L. (2000). CDC growth charts: United States. National Center for Health Statistics. Advance Data, (246), 1–190.
LaFata EM, Allison KC, Audrain-McGovern J, Forman EM. Ultra-Processed Food Addiction: A Research Update. Curr Obes Rep. 2024;13(2):214-223. doi:10.1007/s13679-024-00569-w
Lane, M. M., Gamage, E., Travica, N., Dissanayaka, T., Ashtree, D. N., Gauci, S., Lotfaliany, M., O’Neil, A., Jacka, F. N., & Marx, W. (2022). Ultra-processed food consumption and mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Nutrients, 14(13), 2568. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14132568
Mescoloto, S. B., Pongiluppi, G., & Domene, S. M. Á. (2024). Ultra-processed food consumption and children and adolescents’ health. Jornal de pediatria, 100(1), 18-30.
Meule, A., & Gearhardt, A. N. (2014). Five years of the Yale Food Addiction Scale: Taking stock and moving forward. Current Addiction Reports, 1(3), 193–205. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-014-0021-z
Moghames, P., Hammami, N., Hwalla, N., Yazbeck, N., Shoaib, H., Nasreddine, L., & Naja, F. (2016). Validity and reliability of a food frequency questionnaire to estimate dietary intake among Lebanese children. Nutrition Journal, 15, 4.
Monteiro, C. A., Cannon, G., Levy, R. B., Moubarac, J. C., Louzada, M. L., Rauber, F., & Jaime, P. C. (2019). Ultra-processed foods: What they are and how to identify them. Public Health Nutrition, 22(5), 936–941.
Neri, D., Steele, E. M., Khandpur, N., Cediel, G., Zapata, M. E., Rauber, F., ... & NOVA Multi‐Country Study Group on Ultra‐Processed Foods, Diet Quality and Human Health. (2022). Ultraprocessed food consumption and dietary nutrient profiles associated with obesity: A multicountry study of children and adolescents. Obesity Reviews, 23, e13387.
Öztürk, Y. E., & Uzdil, Z. (2025). Ultra-processed food consumption is linked to quality of life and mental distress among university students. PeerJ, 13, e19931.
Pagliai, G., Dinu, M., Madarena, M. P., Bonaccio, M., Iacoviello, L., & Sofi, F. (2021). Consumption of ultra-processed foods and health status: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British journal of nutrition, 125(3), 308-318.
Penzenstadler, L., Soares, C., Karila, L., & Khazaal, Y. (2019). Systematic review of food addiction as measured with the Yale Food Addiction Scale: implications for the food addiction construct. Current neuropharmacology, 17(6), 526-538.
Ravens-Sieberer, U., Gosch, A., Rajmil, L., Erhart, M., Bruil, J., Duer, W., … KIDSCREEN Group Europe. (2005). KIDSCREEN-52 quality-of-life measure for children and adolescents. Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research, 5(3), 353–364. https://doi.org/10.1586/14737167.5.3.353.
Taş Torun, Y., İçen, S., Gül, H., & Döğer, E. (2022). A cross-sectional study on the correlates of food addiction symptoms in adolescents seeking treatment for obesity: Eating attitudes and gender differences. Journal of Addictive Diseases, 40(3), 326–335. https://doi.org/10.1080/10550887.2021.1990638
Willett, W. C. (1998). Nutritional epidemiology (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Yekaninejad, M. S., Badrooj, N., Vosoughi, F., Lin, C. Y., Potenza, M. N., & Pakpour, A. H. (2021). Prevalence of food addiction in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 22(6), e13183. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13183
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Dependence
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The Journal and content of this website is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License. This is in accordance with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) definition of open access. The Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) allows users to copy, distribute and transmit unmodified article, and make noncommercial use of the article. The CC BY license permits non-commercial re-use of an open access article, as long as the author is properly attributed.
