Background/Objectives: Fructose consumption in children is increasing, as is the prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Despite evidence linking added sugars to metabolic syndrome, fructose’s impact on liver disease in youth remains unclear, especially in pediatrics. Our study aimed to evaluate the role of fructose intake in metabolic and liver dysfunction in a cohort of pre-school children and adolescents with obesity. Methods: We recruited 41 children and adolescents with obesity (age range: 2.5–16 years, BMI SDS 2.6 ± 0.5 kg/m²). Clinical and biochemical parameters were assessed. Through ultrasound (US), MASLD, hepatorenal index (HRI), subcutaneous adipose tissue (scAT), and visceral adipose tissue (vAT) were assessed. Dietary intake was evaluated using the IDEFICS FFQ and a fructose-specific questionnaire. Results: Pubertal subjects had more scAT and vAT, higher insulin resistance, and higher liver fibrosis parameters than those prepubertal. MASLD was detected in 12 subjects, associated with higher scAT and vAT. Pubertal subjects had lower weekly fructose intake than prepubertal subjects (p < 0.02). However, they consumed less fructose from fruits (p < 0.04) and more from other sugars (p < 0.04) than younger children. Patients with MASLD reported higher fructose intake (p < 0.01), primarily from fruits (p < 0.003), likely due to misreporting, alongside higher consumption of unhealthy food, mainly rich in saturated fats. Conclusions: Fructose intake and unhealthy dietary habits were associated with MASLD in pre-school and adolescents with obesity. Advice to pay attention to fructose intake and foods rich in saturated fats is mandatory to decrease both obesity and MASLD. Further high-powered studies in any pediatric age and different geographical areas are needed to better evaluate the MASLD history.

Background: Adherence to the Mediterranean diet is widely recognized as a protective factor for health, yet its determinants remain complex and multidimensional. This study investigates the social, economic, cultural, familial, and perceptual factors associated with adherence to the Mediterranean diet within the Italian population. Methods: Using a stepwise approach based on four linear multiple regression models, we analyzed nationally representative survey data to assess how different sets of variables influence adherence to the Mediterranean diet. The analysis was informed by the theoretical framework of the social determinants of health, the nutrition transition theory, and Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital. Results: Initial models identified younger age and higher educational attainment as significant predictors of greater adherence. With the inclusion of socioeconomic variables, household income emerged as a more robust predictor, while the effect of education diminished. Subsequent models showed that family cultural capital and individual awareness of diet-health relationships significantly increased explanatory power. In the final model, perceptual and cognitive variables—especially the recognition of the role of nutrition and body weight in health—were among the strongest predictors (adjusted R² = 0.25; Durbin-Watson = 1.98). Conclusions: Adherence to the Mediterranean diet reflects not only economic or educational resources, but also deeper cultural and cognitive dimensions. The findings suggest that effective public health interventions should integrate nutritional education, cultural engagement, and targeted support for socially and geographically disadvantaged groups. Rather than a purely behavioral choice, dietary adherence should be understood as a socially structured practice embedded in broader patterns of inequality.

We can classify the Hikikomori phenomenon with the classification of “social pathology”: the Hikikomori phenomenon, and its spread in society, appear to be a real danger to the sustainability and resilience of the very society in which it occurs. This is because the social isolation of an individual, especially if young and non-independent, impacts the community of reference in human, economic and psychological terms. Therefore, an analysis that investigates the social aspects of the Hikikomori phenomenon cannot disregard the fact that it can be said to be sustainable in the community of reference within which it occurs. This, without wishing to produce a judgment on the merits of the social pathology, is relevant to assessing the capacity of that community to sustain its presence and spread and the human and social costs required to contain it. The research aims to explore the Hikikomori phenomenon in the context of Southern Italy, considering it as an emerging social vulnerability that impacts very deeply onto the sustainability of a social, economic and community systems such as the Campania region one. The following paper therefore presents empirical work conducted in southern Italy, in the Campania region. The methodology used is Mixed Methods, and the research design is Sequential Exploratory. The respondents were reached through the help of the association Hikikomori Italia.

One of the main functions of public health is to monitor population health to identify health problems and priorities. Social media is increasingly being used to promote it. This study aims to investigate the field of diabetes and obesity and related tweets in the context of health and disease. The database extracted using academic APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) allowed the study to be run with content analysis and sentiment analysis techniques. These two analysis techniques are some of the tools of choice for the intended objectives. Content analysis facilitated the representation of a concept and a connection between two or more concepts, such as diabetes and obesity, on a purely text-based social platform such as Twitter. Sentiment analysis therefore allowed us to explore the emotional aspect related to the collected data related to the representation of such concepts. The results show a variety of representations connected to the two concepts and their correlations. From them it was possible to produce some clusters of elementary contexts and structure narrative and representational dimensions of the investigated concepts. The use of sentiment analysis and content analysis and cluster output to represent complex contexts such as diabetes and obesity for a social media community could increase knowledge of how virtual platforms impact fragile categories, facilitating concrete spillovers into public health strategies.

(1) Background: The importance of sport in advancing the roadmap for the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda was reaffirmed at the 7th Summit on Smart Cities and Sport (Lausanne, 26–28 October 2020), where it was emphasized that developing a culture of sustainability among younger generations is crucial. Given this scenario, the present study focuses on two main research questions: “Is there a diffusion of an environmentally oriented culture among university students?” and “Is there a relationship between sports’ world and environmentally oriented culture?” (2) Methods: To establish the empirical framework (279 questionnaires received), we used web-based survey techniques with a Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) procedure. (3) Results: The analysis results show that the sample considers environmental sustainability as a part of a more comprehensive understanding of sustainability, which reflects a sense of fear for uncertainty in the future. The second finding suggests that sport does not play a significant role in shaping awareness. (4) Conclusions: The cultural and generational background must be considered for better understanding of the research results, especially in Italy where it appears that sustainability is not considered a priority.