BACKGROUND AND AIM: Suboptimal disease control (SDC) and its contributing factors in IBD according to STRIDE-II criteria is unclear. IBD-PODCAST was a non-interventional, international, multicenter real-world study to assess this. METHODS: Data from the Italian IBD cohort (N=220) are presented here. Participants aged >/=19 with confirmed IBD diagnosis of >/=1 year were consecutively enrolled. A retrospective chart review and cross-sectional assessment by physicians and patients within the past 12 months were performed. SDC or optimal disease control was assessed using adapted STRIDE-II criteria. RESULTS: At the index date, 53.4 % of 116 CD patients and 49.0 % of 104 UC patients had SDC, mainly attributed to a Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire score <50, failure to achieve endoscopic remission, and the presence of active extra-intestinal manifestations in both diseases. Disease monitoring with imaging and/or endoscopy during the previous year was conducted in approximately 50 % of patients, with endoscopy performed in approximately 40 %. Potential therapeutic adjustments were reported for half of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights SDC in a significant portion of IBD Italian patients. These results emphasize the need for more proactive management strategies in both CD and UC patients.