Adapting Food Culture to the Mediterranean Pattern for International Students in Italy

NCT06474936 | Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: 24013/2024
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 23
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to describe the adherence to the Mediterranean diet, the nutritional status, the level of physical activity, and possible eating disorders in international students attending the University of Pavia before and after a food education intervention. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does the intervention of food education change the nutritional status of the international students of the University of Pavia? Does the intervention of food education change the level of physical activity of international students of the University of Pavia? Does the intervention of food education change the possible risk of eating disorders related to the possible change of diet from the country of origin of international students? Researchers will compare the measurements done at the first meeting to the measurements made at the last meeting (6 months) to see if the food educational intervention helped the students. Participants will:

• have the body composition analysed by anthropometric measurements (weight, height, electric bio impedance)
• Receive personalized guidance and support from our team of experts for 6 months. Visit the clinic 3 times (beginning, 3 months, and by the end of 6 months) for check-ups and tests, and participate in online meetings the other 3 months (second, fourth, and fifth). Answer online questionnaires and perform a 3-day food diary (beginning, 3 months, and by the end of 6 months).

Conditions

Physical Inactivity; Eating Disorders; Eating Habit; Diet, Healthy; Diet Habit

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Mediterranean Diet Adhrence

  Mediterranean Diet Score9 (MEDI-LITE): a tool for measuring adherence to the Mediterranean diet. It assigns points based on the frequency of consumption of nine food categories: (1) fruit; (2) vegetables; (3) cereal grains; (4) legumes; (5) fish and fish products; (6) meat and meat products; (7) dairy products; (8) alcohol intake and (9) olive oil. The final score was obtained by summing these values, and it varies from 0 (low adherence) to 18 (high adherence).

  6 months

Secondary Outcomes (8)

• Short Form Health Survey

  6 months

• Weight

  6 months

• Dietary evaluation

  6 months

• Height

  6 months

• Skin folds

  6 months

Study Arms (1)

Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Food habits education regarding the Mediterranean diet adapted according to the country of origin.

Behavioral: Food education

Interventions

Food education BEHAVIORAL

During the consultations are planned at least 6 nutritional education sessions in which the general nutritional advice provided by the Mediterranean Diet will be exposed, and some paper materials can be delivered according to the needs of each individual. 3 in-person meetings and 3 online meetings are planned. Both online and in-person food education sessions will be conducted by experienced nutrition experts monthly. These sessions will cover a range of topics, including the principles of the Mediterranean diet, practical cooking skills, meal-planning strategies, and tips for incorporating Mediterranean-style dishes into daily life

Also known as: Nutritional education

Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• ≥ 18 years old
• Able to understand English or Italian
• Nationality diverse than Italian
• Absence of major morbidities that interfere with food choices, such as diabetes, hypertension, renal dysfunction, etc.

You may not qualify if:

• ≤18 years old;
• Italian nationality;
• Presence of major morbidities that interfere with food choices, such as diabetes, hypertension, renal dysfunction, etc.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Pavia: lead

Study Sites (2)

Laboratory of Food Education and Sport Nutrition, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine

Pavia, 27100, Italy

RECRUITING

University of Pavia

Pavia, 27100, Italy

RECRUITING

Related Publications (1)

• Neri LCL, Fiorini S, Bosio F, Guglielmetti M, Ferraro OE, Tagliabue A, Ferraris C. Nutritional health assistance for adapting food culture to the Mediterranean pattern for international students: study protocol. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2025 Nov;76(7):725-735. doi: 10.1080/09637486.2025.2561711. Epub 2025 Sep 25.

  PMID: 40995823 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Sedentary Behavior; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Feeding Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior; Signs and Symptoms, Digestive; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Mental Disorders; Behavior, Animal

Central Study Contacts

Cinzia Ferraris, PhD

CONTACT

+39 0382.987868; cinzia.ferraris@unipv.it

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 13, 2024
• First Posted: June 26, 2024
• Study Start: May 1, 2024
• Primary Completion: May 1, 2025
• Study Completion: November 1, 2025
• Last Updated: June 26, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

IT (2)