Background/Objectives: Overweight children and childhood obesity are growing public health concerns influenced by early-life nutrition and lifestyle. Irregular eating patterns, sedentary behaviour, and maladaptive eating behaviours significantly contribute to excess weight gain in children. This cross-sectional study comprehensively assessed physical activity, sleep, anthropometric parameters, and eating behaviours in preschool children in Split, Croatia, examining associations between eating behaviours and nutritional status indicators. Methods: A total of 429 children aged 4 to 7 years were recruited from kindergartens in Split-Dalmatia County. Parents completed a lifestyle questionnaire and the Children’s Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ). Anthropometric measurements (weight, height, middle upper arm circumference, waist circumference) were recorded and BMI-for-age z-scores calculated. Physical activity and sleep patterns were assessed based on parental reports. Results: A total of 66% of the children had a healthy body weight, 12.6% were underweight, and 21.4% were overweight or obese. Significant sex differences were found in the CEBQ subscale “Slowness in Eating” (p = 0.04). Overweight or obese children showed a higher food responsiveness, while underweight/normal-weight children had greater emotional undereating and slowness in eating. No significant sex differences were observed regarding physical activity. Girls exhibited significantly more frequent daytime napping than boys. Conclusions: This study shows a significant prevalence of overweight and obese preschool children in Split, Croatia. The results underline the importance of promoting healthy eating behaviours and physical activity from an early age. This is the first study applying CEBQ in the Croatian population and suggests that the interventions should target diet quality and unfavourable eating behaviours to prevent future health risks.

Background/Objectives: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and arterial hypertension (AH) frequently coexist and are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic kidney disease. Although the Mediterranean diet (MeDi) is widely recommended in cardiometabolic management, longitudinal real-world evidence regarding dietary adherence, body composition, and the role of continuous dietitian-led follow-up remains limited. Methods: This three-year prospective observational study included 158 adults with T2DM and AH treated at the Outpatient Clinic for Clinical Nutrition, University Hospital Centre Split, Croatia. Body composition was assessed using multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis, dietary adherence using the Mediterranean Diet Serving Score (MDSS), and renal and metabolic parameters using standard laboratory methods. Participants were stratified according to attendance at scheduled dietitian-led follow-up visits. Results: Significant reductions were observed in body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, muscle mass, skeletal muscle index, and phase angle (PhA) during follow-up (all p < 0.001). Lipid profile improved, with reductions in total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein levels and an increase in high-density lipoprotein concentrations. In contrast, renal function declined, as evidenced by increased creatinine and urea levels and decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). CVD incidence increased significantly during follow-up (p < 0.001). Although overall adherence to the MeDi improved, only 17.8% of participants achieved high adherence. Participants attending regular dietitian-led follow-up demonstrated significantly higher MDSS scores, greater adherence to the MeDi, and higher phase angle values compared with participants without regular follow-up. Conclusions: Adults with T2DM and AH demonstrated partial enhancement of MeDi adherence over three years; although the lipid profile also improved, this could not be attributed to diet and may largely reflect pharmacological treatment. These changes were accompanied by progressive muscle mass loss, declining renal function, and increased cardiovascular burden. Continuous dietitian-led follow-up was associated with superior dietary quality and better nutritional status, supporting the importance of individualized, multidisciplinary approaches integrating sustained nutritional counselling, lean mass preservation, and structured physical activity in long-term cardiometabolic care.

Background/Objectives: Obesity in children and adolescents remains a major health challenge, while Mediterranean diet (MeDi) adherence among children and adolescents is often suboptimal. This study examined MeDi adherence and its association with anthropometric and body composition parameters in children and adolescents with obesity. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 132 participants aged 5–19 years with obesity and was conducted between February 2024 and September 2025 at the Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Centre Split. MeDi adherence was assessed using the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index for children and adolescents (KIDMED), and body composition by multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis. Also, anthropometric measurements were recorded, and body mass index z-score adjusted for age and sex (BMI z-score) was calculated. Results: Based on the KIDMED score, 34.8% of participants showed optimal MeDi adherence, 49.2% moderate adherence, and 15.9% very low adherence. Significant inverse correlations were observed between KIDMED scores and body fat mass (kg) (ρ = −0.230, p = 0.008) and trunk fat mass (kg) (ρ = −0.234, p = 0.007), although these associations did not remain statistically significant after Benjamini–Hochberg correction (adjusted p = 0.06 for both). Multivariate linear regression analyses showed no statistically significant associations between KIDMED scores and the examined body fat parameters after adjustment for age and sex (all p > 0.05). Age was positively associated with body fat mass (kg), trunk fat mass (kg), and trunk fat (%) (all p < 0.001), whereas female sex was associated with higher body fat (%) (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Adherence to the MeDi was suboptimal in most children and adolescents with obesity. Our findings did not establish a statistically significant association between MeDi adherence and the examined body fat parameters after correction for multiple testing and adjustment for age and sex. Further prospective and intervention studies with a larger number of participants are needed to determine whether improving MeDi adherence can lead to favorable changes in body composition in this population.