Abstract
The objective of this study was to examine climate impact from diet across background and sociodemographic characteristics in a population-based cohort in northern Sweden. A cross-sectional study within the Västerbotten Intervention Programme. Dietary data from a 64-item food frequency questionnaire collected during 1996-2016 were used. Energy-adjusted greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) for all participants, expressed as kg carbon dioxide equivalents/day and 4184 kJ (1000 kcal), were estimated using data from life cycle analyses. Differences in background and sociodemographic characteristics were examined between participants with low and high GHGE from diet, respectively. The variables evaluated were age, BMI, physical activity, marital status, level of education, smoking, and residence. Västerbotten county in northern Sweden. In total, 46 893 women and 45 766 men aged 29-65 years. Differences in GHGE from diet were found across the majority of examined variables. The strongest associations were found between GHGE from diet and age, BMI, education, and residence (all P < 0·001), with the highest GHGE from diet found among women and men who were younger, had a higher BMI, higher educational level, and lived in urban areas. This study is one of the first to examine climate impact from diet across background and sociodemographic characteristics. The results show that climate impact from diet is associated with age, BMI, residence and educational level amongst men and women in Västerbotten, Sweden. These results define potential target populations where public health interventions addressing a move towards more climate-friendly food choices and reduced climate impact from diet could be most effective.
Highlights
Study participants In total, 49 710 women and 48 644 men were included in Västerbotten Intervention Programme (VIP) during 1996–2016
Association among individual characteristics and energy-adjusted greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) from diet Among men, age (P < 0·001), BMI (P < 0·001), physical activity (P = 0·018), marital status (P < 0·001), educational level (P < 0·001), smoking (P < 0·001), and residence (P < 0·001) were all associated with GHGE from diet (Table 4), and together explained 10·0 % of the variation in energy-adjusted GHGE from diet
The authors from the Irish study stressed that differences in GHGE between sociodemographic groups were mainly affected by differences in quantity of food consumed, i.e. energy intake
Summary
Study design and participants The Västerbotten Intervention Programme (VIP) is an ongoing, population-based prospective study that was initiated 1985 and runs in the county of Västerbotten in northern Sweden[17]. Non-dietary variables The background and sociodemographic variables examined in relation to climate impact of food were: age, BMI, physical activity, marital status, level of education, smoking, and residence. Information about these variables was collected during the standardized medical examination and through the comprehensive questionnaire on diet and lifestyle. Underweight, 30·0 (%) Physical activity§ (%) Inactive Moderately inactive Moderately active Active Marital status§ (%) Unmarried Married/cohabitant Divorced/separated Widow/widower Level of education§ (%) Basic level, 9 years High school University Smoking§ (%) Currently smoking Have smoked Do not smoke Residence§ (%) Urban area Rural area Energy intake†,‡ (kJ/day) Climate impact from diet* (kg CO2e/day).
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