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- Development of a simplified NOVA-based scoring tool for assessing ultra-processed food consumption among Korean young adults: a cross-sectional study
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Jinhyun Kim1),2)
, Eunjin Jang3), Sarang Jeong4),5), Sukyoung Jung6), Jee Young Kim7), Jung Eun Lee8),9), Dahye Han1),2), Eunseo Lee1),2), Junhyeok Jang1),2), Sohyun Park10),11),† -
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5720/kjcn.2026.00059
Published online: April 3, 2026
1)Master Student, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Korea
2)Master Student, The Korean Institute of Nutrition, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Korea
3)Researcher, The Korean Institute of Nutrition, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Korea
4)Research Professor, Industry-Academy Collaboration Foundation, Dongduk Women’s University, Seoul, Korea
5)Research Fellow, The Korean Institute of Nutrition, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Korea
6)Associate Research Fellow, Department of Healthcare Policy Research, Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, Sejong, Korea
7)Ph. D., Jeju Jinsan Co., Seogwipo, Korea
8)Professor, Department of Food and Nutrition, College of Human Ecology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
9)Professor, Research Institute of Human Ecology, College of Human Ecology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
10)Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Korea
11)Professor, The Korean Institute of Nutrition, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Korea
Received: 2 February 2026 • Revised: 5 March 2026 • Accepted: 11 March 2026
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Abstract
Objectives
This study aimed to develop a NOVA-based scoring approach for evaluating ultra-processed food (UPF) intake among Korean adults and to examine its performance. Previous studies have reported that young adults have the highest levels of UPF consumption. Accordingly, this study focused on adults aged 19–40 years and developed scoring components reflecting dietary patterns specific to Korean eating habits.
Methods
Using 24-hour dietary recall data from adults aged 19–40 years in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2021–2023), foods were classified according to the Korean-adapted NOVA system. The top 10 food groups accounting for ≥ 80% of cumulative UPF-derived energy were selected to construct the scoring components. The tool was operationalized using food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) data from the Gangwon cohort study (2022–2024). Intake frequencies were converted into scores ranging from 0 (“rarely or never”) to 5 (“≥ 1 time/day”), and summed to generate the NOVA–UPF score (range: 0–50).
Results
Among 237 young adults (aged 20–49 years), the mean NOVA–UPF score was 22.9 ± 8.3. A positive association was observed between the NOVA–UPF score and FFQ-based UPF energy intake (Spearman’s ρ = 0.629, P < 0.001). Cross-classification showed that 51.9% were classified into the same tertile and 94.9% into the same or adjacent tertiles, with a weighted kappa coefficient of 0.279.
Conclusion
This NOVA-based scoring approach may serve as a preliminary tool for assessing UPF intake in Korean young adults. Further refinement and rigorous validation using quantitative dietary assessment methods and more diverse populations are required before broader application.
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