Table 1.
Preadolescents and their parents’ characteristics, both in the total sample, as well as separately according to the frequency of junk food consumption.
| Overall Sample (N = 1718) |
Categories of Preadolescents’ Junk Food Consumption | p-Value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (N = 694) | Moderate (N = 559) | High (N = 465) | |||
| Children’s characteristics | |||||
| Age [years; Mean (SD)] | 11.2 (0.8) | 11.1 (0.8) | 11.2 (0.8) | 11.3 (0.8) | 0.054 |
| Sex [N (% Girls)] | 558 (54.0) | 415 (59.8) | 301 (53.8) | 212 (45.6) | <0.001 |
| BMI [kg/m2; Mean (SD)] | 19.2 (3.4) | 19.3 (3.5) | 19 (3.3) | 19.5 (3.6) | 0.061 |
| Overweight/Obesity N (% Yes) | 473 (27.5) | 194 (27.9) | 142 (25.4) | 138 (29.6) | |
| KIDMED score [Mean (SD)] | 5.0 (2.0) | 5.0 (2.0) | 5.0 (2.0) | 4.0 (2.0) | <0.001 |
| KIDMED score categories [N (% Very low diet quality)] | 472 (32.5) | 186 (26.8) | 162 (29.0) | 210 (45.2) | |
| Parents’ characteristics | |||||
| Father’s age [years; Mean (SD)] | 45.8 (5.2) | 45.6 (5) | 46.1 (5.5) | 45.8 (5.2) | 0.333 |
| Mother’s age [years; Mean (SD)] | 41.5 (4.4) | 41.5 (4.3) | 41.6 (4.5) | 41.4 (4.5) | 0.853 |
| Father’s educational level [N (% Higher education)] | 685 (39.9) | 298 (43.0) | 226 (40.4) | 160 (34.4) | 0.057 |
| Mother’s educational level [N (% Higher education)] | 775 (45.1) | 320 (46.1) | 250 (44.7) | 204 (43.9) | 0.822 |
| Income status [N (% >18,000 euros/year)] | 868 (50.5) | 355 (51.2) | 283 (50.6) | 230 (49.5) | 0.900 |
| Father’s BMI [kg/m2; Mean (SD)] | 27.0 (3.7) | 27.1 (3.9) | 26.8 (3.3) | 27.2 (4.0) | 0.429 |
| Mother’s BMI [kg/m2; Mean (SD)] | 24.0 (4.0) | 24.1 (4.2) | 23.8 (3.8) | 24.2 (3.8) | 0.375 |
| Parental obesity status [N (% At least one parent obese)] | 1257 (73.2) | 498 (71.8) | 421 (75.3) | 339 (72.9) | 0.535 |
| Parental smoking habits [N (% At least one parent smokes)] | 955 (55.6) | 366 (52.7) | 302 (54.1) | 290 (62.3) | 0.028 |
| Parental physical activity status [N (% None of the parents is physically active)] | 409 (23.8) | 153 (22.1) | 148 (26.5) | 107 (23.10 | 0.314 |
| Parental level of adherence to the Mediterranean diet [N (% Away from the Mediterranean diet)] | 861 (50.1) | 285 (41.1) | 248 (44.3) | 324 (69.7) | <0.001 |
Notes: p-value was based on the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) in case of continuous characteristics and Pearson chi-square test in case of categorical characteristics. SD = standard deviation. BMI = body mass index. Parental level of adherence to the Mediterranean diet was estimated through the MedDietScore, and those scoring ≤ 25 units, were classified as being “Away” from the Mediterranean diet. Obesity status was defined as BMI > 29.9 kg/m2. KIDMED scores range from 4 to 12. Lower scores indicate low adherence to the Mediterranean diet while higher scores, high adherence to the Mediterranean diet (≤3, very-low-quality diet; 4–7, need to improve the food pattern to adjust it to the Mediterranean one; ≥8, optimal Mediterranean diet).