Gender differences in fresh vegetable intake from 1979 to 2017 in Finland

Antti Kähäri

doi:10.1108/bfj-09-2021-1004

Abstract

PurposePrevious research has shown that in contemporary societies, women have a healthier dietary intake than men. However, no research has examined how this gender gap develops over the long term. The present study examined how gender differences in fresh vegetable intake frequency have evolved from 1979 to 2017 in Finland and whether differences are affected by age or educational level.Design/methodology/approachThe data were derived from annually repeated, nationally representative “Health Behaviour and Health among the Finnish Adult Population” and “Regional Health and Well-being (RHW)” surveys on the health habits of the Finnish population. The dataset is a time series of repeated cross-sectional surveys. In total, the data sample comprised 161,996 Finns aged 20–64 years. Descriptive methods and logistic regression were used for the analysis.FindingsDuring 1979–2017, the prevalence of daily vegetable intake increased from 12 to 35% among men and from 18 to 56% among women. Thus, the magnitude of the gap between genders doubled across the study period. The increased vegetable intake was partly explained by the changing education and age structures of society. Potential explanations and avenues for future research are also discussed. Policy implications depend on whether the findings are interpreted as a case of health differences or health inequality.Originality/valueThis study used a long time series to analyse how gender differences in vegetable intake have evolved in a Nordic welfare state context. It showed that the gap in fresh vegetable intake between men and women has widened.

Highlights

Unhealthy food habits are a leading risk factor for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes (World Health Organization, 2003)
The prevalence of daily vegetable intake increased from approximately 15–48% (Table 1)
The coefficients confirm that daily vegetable intake increased during the study period and was more prevalent among women

Summary

Introduction

Unhealthy food habits are a leading risk factor for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes (World Health Organization, 2003). Most contemporary nutritional guidelines recommend that fruits and vegetables comprise half of each plate (Wallace et al, 2020). People’s consumption of fruits and vegetables fails to meet nutritional recommendations worldwide (Birt et al, 2017; Wallace et al, 2020). This study aims to elucidate the background of health differences between men and women. This study analyses healthy food consumption, a behavioural pattern likely to contribute to the health gap between men and women. Existing literature shows that in developed countries, women consume more vegetables and fruits and less red and processed meat than men (Arganini et al, 2012; Wardle et al, 2004).

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