Quantification of regional variation in ultra-processed food consumption and its sociodemographic correlates across Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka: insights from the South Asia Biobank.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Sales of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are rising in South Asia, yet UPF consumption and its sociodemographic determinants remain largely unknown. We aimed to quantify UPF consumption and investigate its sociodemographic correlates in four countries of South Asia.

Methods

Between January 2020 and September 2022, the South Asia Biobank recruited 63,914 participants aged 18 years or older who were resident in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and North and South India, and self-reported as being of South Asian ethnicity. We analysed data from 60,714 eligible adults. Dietary consumption was assessed using interviewer-led 24-h recalls. Foods were classified by their degree of processing using the NOVA classification. Two-part multivariable-adjusted regression models exa

SUBMITTER: Bhagtani D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12302672 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature