Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Environmental Impact of the Diet on Primary School Children Living in Parma (Italy)

Abstract

The key role of diet in both human health and environmental sustainability is well known. However, there is a lack of studies investigating the environmental impact of children’s dietary behavior. The aim of this observational study was to investigate the dietary environmental impact in a sample of primary school children living in Parma (Italy, n = 172, 8–10 years), in relation to their adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD). Children completed a 3-day food record in both winter and spring. Dietary records were processed to obtain: (i) adherence to the MD and (ii) mean daily carbon and ecological footprints. Adherence to the MD was similar in winter and spring, with almost half of the participants showing a medium MD score. Carbon and ecological footprints were higher during winter, and the main dietary contributors were red and processed meat for both indexes. A small positive correlation was observed between adherence to the MD and total carbon and ecological footprints. This study provided the first analysis of the relationship between adherence to the MD and environmental impact of primary school children. Further research is needed to better investigate the environmental impact of primary school children’s diet and the possible relationship between the MD and environmental sustainability.

Assessment of the Methodology That Is Used to Determine the Nutritional Sustainability of the Mediterranean Diet—A Scoping Review

“…Most of the studies were from countries located in the Mediterranean basin; two studies were conducted in Italy ( 24 , 25 ), two in Lebanon ( 27 , 28 ), two in Spain ( 26 , 29 ), one in France ( 30 ), one in Albania ( 22 ), and one was multicenter (the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Spain) ( 23 ). Five of the nine studies included in this analysis were cross-sectional observational studies ( 22 , 25 , 27 , 28 , 30 ), three were longitudinal observational studies ( 24 , 26 , 29 ), and one was experimental (clinical trial) ( 23 ). Most of the studies were conducted using the dietary consumption data from adults, and one study was conducted using the dietary consumption data from school children ( 24 ).…”

“…Five of the nine studies included in this analysis were cross-sectional observational studies ( 22 , 25 , 27 , 28 , 30 ), three were longitudinal observational studies ( 24 , 26 , 29 ), and one was experimental (clinical trial) ( 23 ). Most of the studies were conducted using the dietary consumption data from adults, and one study was conducted using the dietary consumption data from school children ( 24 ). Sample sizes vary from 289 to 22,866 subjects for the studies including adults and 172 subjects for the study including school children.…”

“…Two studies assessed the sustainability associated with the adherence to MedDiet ( 24 , 27 ), one study assessed the sustainability of the adherence to MedDiet in combination with organic food consumption ( 30 ), one study assessed alterations in sustainability indicators resulting from an intervention promoting MedDiet ( 23 ), and the remaining studies compared MedDiet with other dietary patterns. The dietary patterns compared with MedDiet included the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH), the EAT-Lancet reference diet, the Nordic diet, the Western dietary pattern, the provegetarian dietary pattern, the high-protein dietary pattern, the dietary pattern based on the Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), and the Dietary Quality Index-International (DQI-I).…”

Physical Activity Level, Mediterranean Diet Adherence, and Emotional Intelligence as a Function of Family Functioning in Elementary School Students

“…Nonetheless, the results of the present research study are largely similar to those concluded by Asensi et al [ 50 ], who established that following a positive diet was related to the area in which students carried out their day-to-day activities. These outcomes may be explained by the reasons put forth by Galán-López et al [ 51 ] and Rosi et al [ 28 ], who explain that students older than eleven years start to take control over their own diet, in this way increasing their negative dietary patterns. In addition, El Mokhatari et al [ 52 ] concluded that worse dietary outcomes are obtained at the educational stage corresponding to compulsory secondary education, with this stage also coinciding with the start of adolescence.…”

“…Examples of such foods include legumes, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. It also incorporates vegetable fats, such as olive oil, and prioritises the consumption of fish over red meats [ 26 , 27 , 28 ]. Simultaneously, this diet provides a series of health benefits such as improved blood pressure, attenuated glucose concentration in the blood, reduced likelihood of suffering from diseases that are cardiovascular in nature, and reduced likelihood of suffering from cancer.…”