Lotti Sofia, Tristan Asensi Marta, Cretì Donato, Mollo Erika, Sarti Armando, Sciattella Francesco, Dinu Monica, Colombini Barbara, Rizzo Luigi, Sofi Francesco
Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy.
Valori Aziendali-Mediterranean Food Science, 50141 Florence, Italy.
Nutrients. 2025 Jul 3;17(13):2213. doi: 10.3390/nu17132213.
Eating habits established during adolescence play a crucial role in shaping both current and future health status. However, adolescents today appear to be increasingly adopting poorer dietary and lifestyle habits. This study aims to investigate eating behaviors and supplement use among adolescent students who participated in the EduALI nutrition education project. The project included first-year students from six sports-oriented scientific high schools in Florence. The students participated in six nutrition sessions, completing the International Physical Activity Questionnaire to assess physical activity performance, a questionnaire on dietary supplement use, and, to assess eating habits a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), as well as the Medi-Lite questionnaire to specifically assess adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD). The data from the FFQ were compared with national dietary guidelines. The study sample consisted of 83 students (69.9% male; average age: 13.8 ± 0.4 y). The results showed that 61.4% of participants had used supplements in the past year, most commonly mineral salts (56.6%) and vitamins (54.2%), followed by botanical products (22%), sports drinks (16%), proteins/amino acids (8%), and creatine (2%). Alarmingly, 27.7% used supplements without medical supervision. Students involved in individual sports had higher supplement consumption than those in team sports, especially creatine use. Eating habits revealed poor adherence to both the MD and Italian dietary guidelines, with deficiencies in fruits, vegetables, olive oil, fish, and legumes, and excessive intake of cheese, meat, especially red and processed meats. A high prevalence of supplement use among adolescents was observed, along with poor adherence to dietary guidelines and MD. These findings underscore the need for targeted, school- and sport-based interventions to enhance adolescents' nutritional awareness and responsible supplement use.
青少年时期养成的饮食习惯对塑造当前和未来的健康状况起着至关重要的作用。然而，如今的青少年似乎越来越多地养成了不良的饮食和生活方式习惯。本研究旨在调查参与EduALI营养教育项目的青少年学生的饮食行为和补充剂使用情况。该项目包括来自佛罗伦萨六所体育特色科学高中的一年级学生。学生们参加了六次营养课程，完成了国际体力活动问卷以评估身体活动表现、一份关于膳食补充剂使用的问卷，以及为评估饮食习惯而填写的食物频率问卷（FFQ），还有专门评估对地中海饮食（MD）依从性的Medi-Lite问卷。将FFQ的数据与国家饮食指南进行了比较。研究样本包括83名学生（69.9%为男性；平均年龄：13.8±0.4岁）。结果显示，61.4%的参与者在过去一年中使用过补充剂，最常见的是矿物盐（56.6%）和维生素（54.2%），其次是植物产品（22%）、运动饮料（16%）、蛋白质/氨基酸（8%）和肌酸（2%）。令人担忧的是，27.7%的人在没有医疗监督的情况下使用补充剂。参与个人运动的学生比团队运动的学生补充剂消费量更高，尤其是肌酸的使用。饮食习惯显示对MD和意大利饮食指南的依从性都很差，水果、蔬菜、橄榄油、鱼类和豆类摄入不足，而奶酪、肉类，尤其是红肉和加工肉类摄入过量。观察到青少年中补充剂使用的高流行率，同时对饮食指南和MD的依从性较差。这些发现强调了需要有针对性的、基于学校和运动的干预措施，以提高青少年的营养意识和负责任地使用补充剂。
