Prevalence and spatial distribution of highly processed food in a population-based study and associations with socioeconomic and health factors.

Authors

Roxane Dumont, Viviane Richard, Noé Fellay, David De Ridder, Stephanie Schrempft, Hélène Baysson, Stéphane Joost, Silvia Stringhini, Idris Guessous, Mayssam Nehme

Published in

Clinical nutrition ESPEN. Pages 103420. Jun 19, 2026. Epub Jun 19, 2026.

Abstract

Highly processed food (HPF) intake contributes to negative health outcomes, yet gaps remain in understanding population-level consumption. This study characterized HPF consumption across 14 food categories among Geneva adults and identified related socioeconomic, spatial, and health patterns.
This study analyzed data from 3,600 adults in the Specchio cohort (March 2025). HPF consumption across 14 categories was assessed using the validated short screening-HPF questionnaire. Participants were classified as high/low HPF consumption. Multivariable logistic regression examined associations with socioeconomic, lifestyle, and health factors; spatial analysis assessed geographic clustering.
Overall, 20% were high HPF consumers. Stratified per HPF categories, high consumption was most prevalent for fats (85%), full-fat dairy (71%), refined products (70%), sweet dairy (43%), and snacks (38%). Male sex was the strongest determinant of HPF consumption, with stronger associations for distilled beverages (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=4.8, 95% CI: 3.7-6.4) and fried foods (aOR = 2.3, 95% CI: 1.8-3.0). Younger age was associated with higher consumption of snacks, refined products, and ready-to-eat meals. Financial stress and family conflicts were associated with higher consumption of specific HPF categories. High HPF consumption was associated with worse cardiometabolic outcomes, particularly obesity and diabetes, which were most strongly associated to ready-to-eat meals and sweet drinks. Spatial analysis showed distinct patterns for specific HPF categories but no geographic clustering for overall HPF.
One in five adults consume high levels of HPF, with distinct patterns across demographics and food categories, particularly ready-to-eat meals, sweet drinks, fried foods, and processed meat, with male sex, younger age, financial stress, and family conflicts as major risk factors. Findings support targeted prevention and primary care strategies focusing on specific HPF categories in high-risk populations, which may prove more impactful and efficient than broad, uniform approaches.

PMID:
42320565
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 20 Jun 2026.

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