ArticlePublic health nutrition2026
Ultra-processed food consumption in Scotland: a nationally representative analysis of sociodemographic patterns and dietary contributions.
Article in Public health nutrition, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo quantify ultra-processed food (UPF) intake in Scotland, identify key contributing food groups and examine sociodemographic associations using nationally representative data.
designCross-sectional analysis of 2021 Scottish Health Survey data using 2-d dietary recalls via Intake24 classified by NOVA. UPF intake was calculated as percentage of total energy intake (%TEI) and grams per day (g/d). Multivariable linear regression assessed associations with sex, age, ethnicity, income, socio-economic classification, highest educational qualification, urban-rural location, region and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintiles.
settingNationally representative sample of Scottish households.
participantsIndividuals aged 16 years or over with complete dietary and sociodemographic data (
resultsMean energy intake was 1637·8 kcal/d (95 % CI 1615·8, 1659·8). Mean UPF consumption was 666·9 g/d (95 % CI 647·9, 685·9), amounting to 919·9 kcal/d (95 % CI 901·1, 938·6), representing 55·4 % of TEI (95 % CI 54·7, 56·2) and 28·2 % of total food weight. The main contributors to UPF intake were cereal products (244·8 kcal/d, 27·0 % of UPF kcal), confectionery (170·3 kcal/d, 17·9 %) and meats (153·6 kcal/d, 16·2 %). Sandwiches (99·9 % UPF), salty snacks (94·1 %) and dietary supplements (90·5 %) showed highest UPF proportions by food groups. Adjusted analyses revealed greater UPF consumption (%TEI) among males (
conclusionsUPF dominates Scotland's diet, with inequitable distribution across sociodemographic groups. Policy actions - such as adopting NOVA in dietary guidelines and restricting UPF marketing - are urgently needed to address this public health crisis.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.