This cross-sectional study assessed perceived stress levels in a group of Italian adolescents and examined potential relationships with diet quality, eating behaviours and health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). A total of 1627 adolescents (52% male, median age 16 years) completed a survey including the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the KIDMED for Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence, the KIDSCREEN-10 for HR-QoL, and the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire for Children. Only 16.5% reported low stress levels, while 21.8% exhibited high perceived stress. Perceived stress was inversely associated with MD adherence (β = −0.06; p < 0.0001) and HR-QoL (β = −0.45; p < 0.0001), and positively associated with dysregulated eating behaviours, including emotional eating (β = 0.02; p value < 0.0001), external eating (β = 0.01; p < 0.0001) and restrained eating (β = 0.01; p < 0.0001). These results reinforce the importance of adolescent mental health and the need for strategies aimed at reducing stress and promoting balanced dietary patterns as MD.
The impact of perceived stress on adherence to the Mediterranean diet, eating behaviour and quality of life in a group of Italian adolescents / Tristan Asensi, M.; Marinoni, M.; Costantini, L.; Degli Innocenti, P.; Pagliai, G.; Lotti, S.; Rendine, M.; Bertolotti, E.; Barbero Mazzucca, C.; Bibi, F.; Giustozzi, D.; Napoletano, A.; Biscotti, P.; Vici, G.; Guglielmetti, M.; Di Costanzo, G.; Gianfredi, V.; Marzi, C.; Del Bo', C.; Colombini, B.; Sofi, F.; Rosi, A.; Dinu, M.. - In: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCES AND NUTRITION. - ISSN 0963-7486. - 77:3(2026), pp. 279-287. [10.1080/09637486.2026.2657945]
The impact of perceived stress on adherence to the Mediterranean diet, eating behaviour and quality of life in a group of Italian adolescents
Degli Innocenti P.;Bertolotti E.;Bibi F.;Rosi A.
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2026-01-01
Abstract
This cross-sectional study assessed perceived stress levels in a group of Italian adolescents and examined potential relationships with diet quality, eating behaviours and health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). A total of 1627 adolescents (52% male, median age 16 years) completed a survey including the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the KIDMED for Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence, the KIDSCREEN-10 for HR-QoL, and the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire for Children. Only 16.5% reported low stress levels, while 21.8% exhibited high perceived stress. Perceived stress was inversely associated with MD adherence (β = −0.06; p < 0.0001) and HR-QoL (β = −0.45; p < 0.0001), and positively associated with dysregulated eating behaviours, including emotional eating (β = 0.02; p value < 0.0001), external eating (β = 0.01; p < 0.0001) and restrained eating (β = 0.01; p < 0.0001). These results reinforce the importance of adolescent mental health and the need for strategies aimed at reducing stress and promoting balanced dietary patterns as MD.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
