Systematic review and meta-analysis of the most common processed/ultraprocessed foods consumed by Iranian children Mina Babashahi1, Nasrin Omidvar1, Bahareh Yazdizadeh2, Motahar Heidari-Beni3, Hassan Joulaei4, Saba Narmcheshm5,6, Azizollaah Zargaraan7 and Roya Kelishadi 3 1Department of Community Nutrition, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. 2Knowledge Utilization Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. 3Department of Pediatrics, Child Growth and Development Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-Communicable Disease, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Islamic Republic of Iran. 4Health Policy Research Center, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran. 5Students’ Scientific Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. 6Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. 7Department of Food and Nutrition Policy and Planning Research, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. (Correspondence to: Nasrin Omidvar:
[email protected]). Abstract Background: The trend of increasing overweight and obesity among children is a huge burden on health systems. In this regard, the growing availability of processed foods, often energy dense and nutrient poor, has become a major concern. Changing this trend will require evidence-based policies. Aims: This systematic review aimed to identify the most common processed/ultraprocessed foods consumed by 4–12-year-old Iranian children.