Socioeconomic vulnerability and its associations with dietary patterns and obesity degree among children in families across six european countries: the <scp>feel4diabetes</scp> ‐study

Mahmood, Lubna ; Moreno, Luis A. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Schwarz, Peter ; Annemans, Lieven ; Cardon, Greet ; Hilal, Soukaina ; Rurik, Imre ; Iotova, Violeta ; Usheva, Natalya ; Tankova, Tsvetalina ; Anastasiou, Costas ; Manios, Yannis ; González-Gil, Esther M. (Universidad de Zaragoza)

Resumen: Introduction
Previous studies suggest that children from lower socioeconomic status may be at higher risk of unhealthy eating. This study aims to examine the cumulative socioeconomic vulnerabilities and their association with dietary patterns and obesity levels in European children.

Methods
A total of 9664 parent‐child dyads (79% mothers; 50.8% girls) from six European countries participated in the study. Families provided baseline information on energy balance‐related behaviours and socioeconomic factors through questionnaires. Children's dietary habits were evaluated using semi‐quantitative food frequency questionnaires, and anthropometric data were collected. Vulnerabilities were quantified through a composition of variables based on household income, parental education and employment. Multivariable and logistic regression analyses were performed.

Results
The study found significant associations between socioeconomic vulnerability and children's dietary habits and body mass index. Higher vulnerability was linked to a lower probability of fruit and vegetable intake, and a higher probability of consuming red meat, and energy‐dense snacks. Children with the highest vulnerability had nearly four times higher odds of overweight/obesity (OR = 3.82, 95% CI: 3.05–4.76).

Conclusions
The findings of this study indicate that European children from families with a high socioeconomic vulnerability tend to have an unhealthy dietary profile and a higher degree of obesity. Therefore, public health programs should prioritise families facing high socioeconomic vulnerabilities promoting healthy eating to prevent childhood obesity at early stages.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1111/ijpo.70072

Año: 2026

Publicado en: Pediatric obesity 21, 1 (2026), e70072 [10 pp.]
ISSN: 2047-6302

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/643708/EU/Developing and implementing a community-based intervention to create a more supportive social and physical environment for lifestyle changes to prevent diabetes in vulnerable families across Europe/Feel4Diabetes

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Enfermería (Dpto. Fisiatría y Enfermería)