Association between junk food consumption and cardiometabolic risk factors in a national sample of Iranian children and adolescents population: the CASPIAN-V study

Aims Only a few studies have attempted to assess the relationship between junk food consumption and cardiometabolic risk factors in Iranian children and adolescents; therefore, the aim of our study was to determine the association between junk food intake and cardiometabolic risk factors in this population. Study design This is a cross-sectional study. Methods A total of 14,400 students were selected from 30 provinces of Iran using multistage, stratified cluster sampling method. Information about student’s lifestyle, health behaviors and health status was obtained through a validated questionnaire. Blood pressure was measured and anthropometric indices were calculated. Blood samples were drawn from 3,303 students for biochemical tests. In our study, sugar-sweetened beverages, salty snacks, sweets and fast foods were considered as junk foods. Results The mean age of participants was 12.42 ± 2.97 years. Those with metabolic syndrome were more likely to live in urban areas ( P = 0.004) and have higher BMI ( P