Nutritional Epidemiology of Diet Quality, Food Insecurity, and Eating Behaviour Across the Lifecourse

Nutritional epidemiology is increasingly recognising the interplay between diet quality, food insecurity, and eating behaviour as critical determinants of health outcomes across the lifecourse. Despite substantial advances, evidence remains fragmented, often confined within specific age groups or outcomes, lacking a cohesive view of transitions and determinants from preconception through older adulthood. Recent studies have established strong associations among these constructs and a range of outcomes, including nutrient adequacy, growth trajectories, metabolic risk, non-communicable disease (NCD) incidence, mental health, and functional capacity. However, research is complicated by methodological challenges in exposure measurement, variations in policy and environmental context, and the influence of socioeconomic and demographic inequities. There remains an urgent need for research that integrates these domains across life stages, employs rigorous epidemiological methods, and explores intervention and policy optimizations.This Research Topic aims to systematically characterise patterns and transitions in diet quality, food insecurity, and eating behaviours throughout all stages of life. It further seeks to quantify and elucidate the associations between these exposures and both intermediate and long-term health outcomes. A major objective is to advance the measurement and causal inference methods within nutritional epidemiology, explicitly considering equity and contextual determinants. Additionally, the Research Topic endeavours to evaluate and synthesise evidence from interventions and policy reforms that seek to improve diet quality and reduce food insecurity, ensuring relevance to diverse population groups and settings.The scope of this Research Topic encompasses original research and reviews that link diet quality, food insecurity, and eating behaviour to health across the entire lifecourse, with a strong emphasis on epidemiological rigour and population relevance. We welcome articles that address:o Innovations in measurement and validation of diet quality, food insecurity, and eating behaviour constructso Epidemiological analyses of lifecourse patterns and transitions from preconception through older age o Social, commercial, and environmental determinants influencing the core constructso Policy evaluations, natural and quasi-experiments, and implementation science approacheso Intersectional and equity-focused analyses across socioeconomic, demographic, and geographical stratao The impact of interventions and systems changes on population diet quality and food security Topic editors: Feride Ayyıldız, NESLİHAN ARSLAN, Kübra Esin Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79362/nutritional-epidemiology-of-diet-quality-food-insecurity-and-eating-behaviour-across-the-lifecourse