Smartphone and Internet Addictive Behaviors Are Differentially Associated with Mediterranean Diet Adherence in Young Adults: The EVA-Adic Study.

Background/Objectives: Problematic digital technology use may be associated with unhealthy dietary behaviors, but different forms of digital dependence may not relate to diet quality in the same way. This study examined the association between Mediterranean diet adherence and problematic smartphone,...

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Publicado en:Nutrients Vol. 18; no. 15; pp. 2425 - 2445
Autores principales: Vicente-Prieto, Alberto, Lugones-Sánchez, Cristina, Vicente-Gabriel, Sara, Saldaña-Ruiz, Cristina, González-Sánchez, Susana, Conde-Martín, Sandra, Gómez-Marcos, Manuel A., Gómez-Sánchez, Marta, Gómez-Sánchez, Leticia
Formato: research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: MDPI Aug2026
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Aug2026
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        atl: Smartphone and Internet Addictive Behaviors Are Differentially Associated with Mediterranean Diet Adherence in Young Adults: The EVA-Adic Study.
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        au:
          Vicente-Prieto, Alberto
          Lugones-Sánchez, Cristina
          Vicente-Gabriel, Sara
          Saldaña-Ruiz, Cristina
          González-Sánchez, Susana
          Conde-Martín, Sandra
          Gómez-Marcos, Manuel A.
          Gómez-Sánchez, Marta
          Gómez-Sánchez, Leticia
        affil: Unidad de Investigación en Atención Primaria de Salamanca (APISAL), Gerencia de Atención Primaria de Salamanca, Gerencia Regional de salud de Castilla y León (SACyL), Avenida de Portugal 83, 37005 Salamanca, Spain
      sug:
        subj:
          Technology Addiction Evaluation
          Internet Addiction Evaluation
          Mediterranean Diet Evaluation
          Human
          Eating Behavior Evaluation
          Digital Technology Utilization
          Video Games Utilization
          Smartphone Utilization
          Cross Sectional Studies
          Adult
          Clinical Assessment Tools
          Scales
          Multiple Regression
          Confidence Intervals
          Fruit
          Sweetened Beverages
          Life Style
          Technology Addiction Complications
          Internet Addiction Complications
          Funding Source
          Spain
          Adult: 19-44 years
      ab: Background/Objectives: Problematic digital technology use may be associated with unhealthy dietary behaviors, but different forms of digital dependence may not relate to diet quality in the same way. This study examined the association between Mediterranean diet adherence and problematic smartphone, Internet, and video game use in young adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 496 adults aged 18–34 years participating in the EVA-Adic study. Mediterranean diet adherence was assessed using the 14-item Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS). Problematic digital use was evaluated using the EDAS-18 for smartphone dependence, the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS), and the Questionnaire of Experiences Related to Video Games (CERV). Multivariable regression models were adjusted for sociodemographic, anthropometric, and lifestyle factors. Results: Of the participants, 339 had low-to-moderate Mediterranean diet adherence, and 157 had high adherence. In fully adjusted models, higher EDAS-18 scores were associated with lower MEDAS scores (β = −0.022; 95% CI: −0.041 to −0.003), whereas higher CIUS scores showed a small positive association with MEDAS scores (β = 0.025; 95% CI: 0.002 to 0.049). CERV scores and the global digital addiction index were not associated with overall Mediterranean diet adherence. At the individual dietary-component level, higher smartphone dependence was associated with lower compliance with fruit and sugar-sweetened beverage recommendations. Conclusions: In this cross-sectional sample of young adults, smartphone dependence and compulsive Internet use showed small associations with Mediterranean diet adherence in opposite directions, whereas problematic video-game use and the exploratory global composite were not associated with the overall MEDAS-14 score. The magnitude of the observed associations was modest; their clinical and public-health relevance remains uncertain, and the component-level findings should be considered exploratory in the context of multiple testing. These results do not establish causality and require confirmation in longitudinal, multicenter studies using objective and context-specific measures of digital use.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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