Purpose This study to investigate several issues related to food choice and consumption patterns in different countries, including health-related factors; economic and availability aspects; emotional determinants; social, cultural and religious influences; marketing and advertising campaigns; and finally environmental concerns. Design/methodology/approach The present study was based on a questionnaire that was exclusively prepared for the project, and which was applied to collect data in different countries, in particular Croatia, Egypt, Italy, Greece and Portugal, which are typically associated with the Mediterranean diet (MD). Findings The results obtained allowed, in general, to conclude that in all five countries the motivations related to health as well as environment and politics were the more relevant to determine people’s eating habits (scores varying from 0.3 to 0.7). Women were more influenced by eating motivations than men, and people with moderate exercise were more susceptible to health and environmental motivations and less to emotional, social or marketing motivations (p < 0.001 in all cases). It was also observed that people who adopted a special diet were more prone to eating motivations and that the emotional motivations were more pronounced in people with eating disorders (p < 0.001). Finally, people without chronic diseases or allergies were even more influenced by health motivations than those who actually suffered from these health problems (p < 0.001 in both cases). Originality/value This work is important because of the multinational coverage, thus allowing to evaluate the most relevant factors that influenced the food choices of the populations around the Mediterranean Sea, sharing the common link to the MD. The study allowed concluding that, in general, the food choices were primarily determined by health factors and also by concerns related to the environment and sustainability as well as by political influences.

The current study tested the applicability of Jessor’s Problem Behavior Theory in explaining problem behavior among adolescents in Egypt. Data were collected from 887 adolescents (52% males) with a mean age of 13.4 years. Participants rated three measures of problem behaviors (delinquent behavior, cigarette smoking, and problem substance use), three types of psychosocial protection (models protection, controls protection, and support protection), and three types of psychosocial risk (models risk, opportunity risk, and vulnerability risk). Female adolescents reported lower levels of problem behavior involvement than male adolescents. Psychosocial protective and risk factors accounted for significant variation in adolescents’ problem behavior involvement. For males, models risk was the most important risk factor in problem behavior involvement variation, whereas for females, opportunity risk was the most important risk factor. Present findings are useful in understanding problem behavior involvement among Egyptian youth and informing the design of interventions to reduce problem behavior.