This study evaluates whether baseline ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption predicts failure to meet 24-h movement guidelines at 2-year follow-up in early childhood. Data from 586 participants (aged 4–5 years at baseline) from the SENDO project were analyzed. Dietary intake was assessed through a validated 149-item FFQ, completed by parents, and categorized by NOVA classification. Physical activity, screen time, and sleep time were assessed through questionnaires, based on the 24-h movement guidelines established by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology and the WHO. Overall, 92.0% of participants adhered to at least one guideline, 38.9% met all three, and only 8.0% met none of the recommendations. After adjusting for confounders, children in the highest UPF tertile (T3) had a rate ratio (RR) of 1.27 (95% CI 1.04–1.55; p = 0.021) compared with the lowest (T1). A significant linear trend was observed across UPF tertiles (p for trend = 0.022). Moreover, children in T3 had a greater likelihood of not meeting the recreational screen time guideline (RR 1.82, 95% CI 1.18–2.64; p = 0.036) than those in T1. Absolute screen time was significantly higher in T3 than T1 (1.31 ± 1.11 vs. 0.94 ± 1.18 h/day; p < 0.001).Conclusion: This study suggests that higher UPF consumption is associated with a lower adherence to 24-h movement recommendations—specifically regarding an increased likelihood of not complying with the recreational screen time recommendation. This highlights the importance of reducing UPF intake to support healthy behaviors over time in early life.<Table Float="No" ID="Taba"> <tgroup cols="2"> <colspec align="left" colname="c1" colnum="1" /> <colspec align="left" colname="c2" colnum="2" /> <tbody> <row> <entry nameend="c2" namest="c1"> What is Known: • Only a limited number of longitudinal studies have investigated the potential long-term association between dietary habits and the 24-h movement guidelines. • Higher consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is consistently linked to nutrient imbalances and adverse metabolic outcomes in children and adolescents. </entry> </row> <row> <entry nameend="c2" namest="c1"> What is New: • This is the first study to prospectively investigate the relationship between early-life UPF intake and subsequent nonadherence to the 24-h movement guidelines in preschoolers. • Higher baseline UPF intake predicts a lower likelihood of meeting the movement recommendations after a 2-year follow-up, an association primarily driven by increased sedentary screen time. </entry> </row> </tbody> </tgroup> </Table>

Prospective association between baseline ultra-processed food consumption and future adherence to the 24-h movement guidelines in children: findings from the SENDO project

期刊论文
出版模式：

开放获取
发表日期：

2026年7月29日

查看全文

Nadia Paladino,
Miguel Ángel Martínez-González,
José Francisco López-Gil,
Giuseppe Grosso,
Nerea Martín-Calvo

摘要

This study evaluates whether baseline ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption predicts failure to meet 24-h movement guidelines at 2-year follow-up in early childhood. Data from 586 participants (aged 4–5 years at baseline) from the SENDO project were analyzed. Dietary intake was assessed through a validated 149-item FFQ, completed by parents, and categorized by NOVA classification. Physical activity, screen time, and sleep time were assessed through questionnaires, based on the 24-h movement guidelines established by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology and the WHO. Overall, 92.0% of participants adhered to at least one guideline, 38.9% met all three, and only 8.0% met none of the recommendations. After adjusting for confounders, children in the highest UPF tertile (T3) had a rate ratio (RR) of 1.27 (95% CI 1.04–1.55; p = 0.021) compared with the lowest (T1). A significant linear trend was observed across UPF tertiles (p for trend = 0.022). Moreover, children in T3 had a greater likelihood of not meeting the recreational screen time guideline (RR 1.82, 95% CI 1.18–2.64; p = 0.036) than those in T1. Absolute screen time was significantly higher in T3 than T1 (1.31 ± 1.11 vs. 0.94 ± 1.18 h/day; p < 0.001).

Conclusion: This study suggests that higher UPF consumption is associated with a lower adherence to 24-h movement recommendations—specifically regarding an increased likelihood of not complying with the recreational screen time recommendation. This highlights the importance of reducing UPF intake to support healthy behaviors over time in early life.

What is Known:

• Only a limited number of longitudinal studies have investigated the potential long-term association between dietary habits and the 24-h movement guidelines.

• Higher consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is consistently linked to nutrient imbalances and adverse metabolic outcomes in children and adolescents.

What is New:

• This is the first study to prospectively investigate the relationship between early-life UPF intake and subsequent nonadherence to the 24-h movement guidelines in preschoolers.

• Higher baseline UPF intake predicts a lower likelihood of meeting the movement recommendations after a 2-year follow-up, an association primarily driven by increased sedentary screen time.