Findings on Environmental and Behavioral Factors Affecting Ultra-Processed Food Consumption in Emerging Adults Have Been Published

The study titled “Drivers of ultra-processed food consumption in emerging adults: the influence of obesogenic environment, hedonic hunger, and food choices” was conducted with 407 university students aged 18–29 studying in Istanbul. The study comprehensively examined the relationships between perceived obesogenic environment, hedonic hunger, food choice tendencies, and ultra-processed food consumption.

According to the study findings, 65.8% of the students were found to have a high level of ultra-processed food consumption. Overweight participants had higher scores for both perceived obesogenic environment and ultra-processed food consumption.

The study found that perceived obesogenic environment was significantly associated with hedonic hunger and food choice tendencies. Being in environments where access to unhealthy foods is easy and where energy-dense, taste-oriented foods are more visible may trigger eating desire through pleasure and reward mechanisms rather than physiological hunger. The study also revealed that hedonic hunger was associated with ultra-processed food consumption.

One of the notable aspects of the study was that the digital food environment was also evaluated. While all participants reported using social media, Instagram was found to be the most frequently used platform. Among Instagram users, food images were identified as the most frequently encountered content category, with a rate of 62.4%. This finding indicates that emerging adults are intensely exposed to food cues not only in physical environments but also on digital platforms.

The findings show that strategies aimed at reducing ultra-processed food consumption among university students should not be limited to individual nutrition education alone; they should also take environmental conditions, psychological eating impulses, and digital food cues into account.

We would like to thank our department faculty members, Assoc. Prof. Hatice Merve Bayram and Prof. Dr. Arda Öztürkcan, for their valuable scientific contributions to the literature and to the field of Nutrition and Dietetics.