Date of Completion
Fall 12-15-2025
Thesis Advisor(s)
Aviana Rosen; Tamara Kaliszewski
Honors Major
Allied Health Sciences
Abstract
In 2019, NCDs accounted for 38.8% of total global deaths in adolescents aged 10-24, and in 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that over 390 million youth were overweight or obese worldwide, highlighting the urgency of addressing poor nutrition and sedentary behaviors early in life. There is an extensive amount of research suggesting that the Mediterranean Diet (MD) is related to lowering NCDs and its risk factors. Thus, the present study explored cross-country differences in dietary patterns and Body Mass Index (BMI) between youth in Spain and the United States (US), two countries with contrasting dietary traditions: the Mediterranean diet (MD) and a Western diet. We hypothesized that Spanish adolescents would exhibit healthier dietary patterns and lower BMI, and that pandemic-related lifestyle disruptions would help explain these differences. Data was collected from 402 participants (200 Spanish adolescents and 202 American adolescents) through a cross-sectional online survey, measuring dietary preferences and habits, BMI, pandemic-related lifestyle changes, and related sociodemographic characteristics. Results revealed no statistically significant differences in dietary patterns across the countries, suggesting similar diet quality across both countries. However, US adolescents exhibited statistically significantly higher BMI compared to Spanish adolescents (p< 0.001). Weak but significant correlations were observed between BMI and pandemic-related lifestyle changes, including increased processed food consumption and financial strain. These findings highlight that although dietary quality may be converging, BMI disparities persist, potentially due to socioeconomic and environmental factors. With the increase of NCDs, these results may guide public health prevention strategies towards dietary behaviors and high BMI contributing factors, making them more effective.
Recommended Citation
Chavez Jimenez, Rosa I., "Cross-Country Differences in Adolescent Dietary Patterns and Body Mass Index: Spain and the United States" (2025). Honors Scholar Theses. 1143.
https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/srhonors_theses/1143