Influence of ultra-processed food in the diet of South Indian young adults: an explanatory mixed method study

To determine the contribution of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) to overall macronutrient intake and their association with anthropometric measurements, and to explore the perceptions regarding UPF consumption among young adults in Puducherry, India. This study included 630 participants from three colleges selected using multistage cluster sampling. Following the demonstration of portion estimation, dietary data from previous day were collected using a Google Form-based tool. The participant’s anthropometric measures were taken. Food items were classified into NOVA groups and intake analysis was performed using DietSoft software. The participants with low and high consumption were identified and focus group discussions were conducted in each group using criterion sampling. Of all the participants, 178 (28.3