Dietary habits of Albanian immigrants living in Greece in comparison to Albanians living in their country

Abstract

The aim of this study was the investigation of the dietary habits of Albanian immigrants living in Greece for at least 3 years in comparison to those living in Albania permanently. The study was designed as a comparative cross-sectional one. The sample consisted of 638 persons, of whom 299 were living in Greece and 339 were permanently living in Albania. Dietary habits were recorded by a quantitative questionnaire, including all food categories that have been used for the estimation of the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS). Demographic information, data on education, work and income were recorded. Data collection took place in both Greece and Albania by means of a personal interview. The mean MDS was 32 (±4.2) and 30.3 (±4.5) for Albanian immigrants in Greece and residents of Albania, respectively, (p < 0.001). Bivariate analysis identified that the participants with higher education level, more physical activity, monthly family income ≥€1,500, those with 3–7 meals per day, those with 5–7 breakfasts a week, employed and ex-smokers displayed higher MDS. In the multivariate linear regression analysis, residents of Greece had higher MDS than residents of Albania. Also, those with higher education level, those with more physical activity, those with 3–7 meals per day and those employed had higher MDS. The findings of this study showed that dietary habits of Albanian immigrants in Greece were improved compared to those of the Albanians living in their home country.