Ultra-Processed Food Consumption Among Palastenian University Students: Association with Nutrition Literacy, Hedonic Hunger, Sleep Quality and Food Availability

Description

Multicentere Analytical Cross-Sectional Study. This study will examine whether food and nutrition literacy (FNL) is associated with self-reported ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption among university students in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and explore associations with hedonic hunger, sleep quality and food affordability. The proposal adapts an internationally published multidimensional framework to Palestinian university contexts with potentially different food-access constraints. Approximately 600 analysable responses in total are targeted through monitored, multicentre non-probability sampling with recruitment in both regions, subject to institutional access and approvals. The primary outcome is a continuous UPF screening score, contingent on documented Arabic adaptation and scoring validity. Prespecified multivariable models will estimate associations, with an exploratory interaction between FNL and food affordability. Ethics approval, institutional permissions and permissions for proprietary questionnaires will precede recruitment. Findings will be interpreted as associations, not causal effects or nationally representative estimates.