Systematic review and meta-analysis of the most common processed foods consumed by Iranian children

Abstract

Background: The trend of increasing overweight and obesity among children is a huge burden on health systems. In this regard, the growing availability of processed foods, often energy dense and nutrient poor, has become a major concern. Changing this trend will require evidence-based policies. Aims: This systematic review aimed to identify the most common processed/ultraprocessed foods consumed by 4–12-year-old Iranian children. Methods: We searched PubMed, Scopus and Web of science, as well as Persian scientific search engines, including Iran Research Information System, Scientific Information Database and Mag-Iran. We also assessed grey literature, that is, national studies and papers presented at relevant Iranian congresses. All data collected from studies were converted to daily servings (S/D). Mean and standard deviations of the included results were combined by performing meta-analysis with a random effects model. The I2 test was used to compute heterogeneity. Egger’s test was used to assess publication bias. Results: Ten studies with 67 093 children were included in this review. The meta-analysis demonstrated that the highest consumption of processed foods belonged to the sugars and sweets group with 8.01 S/D, followed by oils, and biscuits and cakes with 5.58 S/D and 3.33 S/D, respectively. Conclusion: Given the high consumption of less healthy processed foods, robust policies to support healthy eating and help improve Iranian children’s food environment are recommended.

Dietary intake, obesity, and metabolic risk factors among children and adolescents in the SEACO-CH20 cross-sectional study

“…Several studies have explored sex-related differences www.nature.com/scientificreports/ in dietary intake. For example, the VYRONAS study 38 reported a preference for cereals and cereal products, especially for breakfast by boys aged 12-17 compared to their female counterparts. This likely reflects the higher need for foods that contribute more energy during rapid growth in boys.…”

The Association between Ultra-Processed Foods, Quality of Life and Insomnia among Adolescent Girls in Northeastern Iran

“…Furthermore, links have been established between increased ultra-processed food consumption, early onset of NCDs and decreased quality of life in children and adolescents [7,9,14,27]. Childhood obesity is becoming increasing common in Iran where children are overconsuming processed food containing high amounts of sugar and/or fats [16].…”

“…Further evidence showed links between ultra-processed food intake and excessive free sugar intake. Babashahi et al [16] showed processed sugar and sweets, followed by oils, biscuits and cakes, were the most commonly consumed processed food groups in a systematic review and meta-analysis of 10 studies on 67,093 Iranian children aged 4-12 years. Other countries have shown similar results; for example, Machado et al [30] showed that ultra-processed food consumption drives an excessive free sugar intake among all age groups in Australia.…”

“…Childhood obesity is becoming increasingly common in Iran, where obesity prevalence is greater than in South East Asia, Africa and Europe [14], accounting for 8% of children under 5 years of age in 2019 [15] and 9.3% and 8.1% of adolescent boys and girls, respectively. Iranian children overconsume processed food containing high amounts of sugar and/or fats, with girls consuming higher quantities of a range of sweet and savory ultra-processed foods than boys [16].…”

Scrutinize of healthy school canteen policy in Iran’s primary schools: a mixed method study

“…Cakes, sweet biscuits and pastries had the highest share among not permitted foods. Also, these food items have a large share of processed food products that Iranian children consume on a daily basis [58]. A crosssectional study in Kerman, a province in central Iran, also pointed to the low compliance of food products available in school buffets with national guideline [40].…”