BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Eating Behavior
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1635050
Ultraprocessed food, physical activity, and executive function: Correlation and comparative study of university students in Mexico City and Salamanca
Provisionally accepted
María Elena Chávez-Hernández1
Lizbeth De La Torre2
Luis Miguel Rodríguez-Serrano1*
MARINA WOBBEKING SÁNCHEZ3- 1Anahuac University of North Mexico, Huixquilucan de Degollado, Mexico
- 2Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
- 3Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
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Introduction: Correlation of ultraprocessed food (UPF) intake on executive function (EF) and physical activity (PA) in university students is a relevant subject of interest that remains insufficiently understood. PA has positive impact on cognition and emotional status, while UPF intake has been associated with sedentary behavior and lower cognitive performance. The present study aims to evaluate the correlation between UPF intake, PA, and EF in university students by comparing the self-reports of Mexican and Spanish youth, and determine significant differences between both samples in the variables of interest. Methods: Undergraduate university students (n=265, 18–25 years) who lived in Mexico City, Mexico and Salamanca, Spain, were included; a self-report online questionnaire was constructed including frequency of UPF intake, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) Short Version and the Spanish version of the WEBEXEC Questionnaire. Results: Students in Mexico City show significant positive correlation between PA and UPF intake, while Salamanca results indicate a significant correlation between sitting time and UPF intake, indicating that increased sedentary behavior (e. g. more sitting time or less PA) is related to increased UPF intake. Significant differences between both cities were found in sitting time and in UPF intake, while no statistically significant differences were found in EF and PA. Conclusion: Results provide initial indications of the relationship between UPF intake, PA, and sitting time, and EF in university students, a population in which the effect of these variables has not yet been thoroughly studied, even though the university lifestyle presents risk factors for unhealthy habits.
Keywords: Ultraprocessed food, Executive Function, physical activity, university students, Sitting time
Received: 25 May 2025; Accepted: 01 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chávez-Hernández, De La Torre, Rodríguez-Serrano and WOBBEKING SÁNCHEZ. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Luis Miguel Rodríguez-Serrano, Anahuac University of North Mexico, Huixquilucan de Degollado, Mexico
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