RT Journal Article
T1 Validity of the MED4CHILD tool for assessing adherence to the Mediterranean diet in preschool children
A1 Larruy García, Alicia
A1 Vázquez Cobela, Rocío
A1 Leis Trabazo, María Rosaura
A1 Moreno Aznar, Luis Alberto
K1 Childhood
K1 Dietary intake
K1 Mediterranean pattern
K1 Short screener
K1 Validation study
AB Most of the available tools to assess adherence to Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) were constructed for adults, having limited applicability to children and adolescents. The aim of this study is to validate a specific questionnaire to assess adherence to MedDiet in children aged 3 to 6 years (MED4CHILD questionnaire). The validation was performed in a baseline examination of a cohort of children who were recruited in schools in seven cities. Of the total sample of 1509 children, we included 858 children aged 3 to 6 years with complete information on adherence to the MedDiet, food consumption, anthropometry and cardiometabolic characteristics. Adherence to the MedDiet was assessed using an 18-item questionnaire, adapted from validated questionnaire for adults using the Delphi method. Food and beverage consumption was assessed using a validated COME-Kids Food and Beverage Frequency Questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements and cardiometabolic risk factors were assessed using standard methods. Statistical analyses included kappa agreement, ANOVA and linear regression models. Higher MED4CHILD scores were associated with higher intakes of food characteristic of the MedDiet. The MED4CHILD questionnaire showed moderate validity, especially for key items of the Mediterranean diet (kappa ranging from 0.333 to 0.665). Direct significant associations were found between MED4CHILD scores and cardiometabolic profile, including waist circumference (p), triglycerides and HOMA-IR (p < 0.05).
PB Springer
SN 0340-6199
YR 2025
FD 2025-01-11
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/45213
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/45213
LA eng
NO Larruy-García, A., De Miguel-Etayo, P., Babio, N., Flores-Rojas, K., Picáns-Leis, R., Gómez-Martínez, C., Miguel-Berges, M. L., Martínez, J. A., Corella, D., de la Torre-Aguilar, M. J., Vázquez-Cobela, R., Shyam, S., Pastor-Villaescusa, B., Córdoba-Rodríguez, D. P., Schröder, H., Fernández de la Puente, M., Jurado-Castro, J. M., Ni, J., Navas-Carretero, S., Leis, R., … Moreno, L. A. (2025). Validity of the MED4CHILD tool for assessing adherence to the Mediterranean diet in preschool children. European journal of pediatrics, 184(2), 130. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-024-05945-1
NO Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. Funds for the establishment of the CORALS cohort in the first year of the study (2019) were provided by an agreement between the Danone Institute from Spain and the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de la Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN). JN is supported by a predoctoral grant from Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (FPU 20/00385). SS is a recipient of the Maria Zambrano Fellowship from the Ministry of Universities and the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, Funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
DS Minerva
RD 28 abr 2026