Social status and dietary habits of the population (PURE study)

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Recent data indicate that the population diet quality is related to its socio-economic status. Identification of dietary characteristics depending on the population status will help to determine effective prevention strategies diet-related diseases. Objective To assess the population dietary pattern depending on their income level, education and marital status. Methods A total of 1,600 people aged 35–70 years were examined in accordance with the program of Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. All participants were interviewed to determine the level of education, income, marital status and dependents. Diet was assessed using the Food Frequency Questionnaire. During data processing, products with similar characteristics were grouped into categories. To calculate the consumption frequency of particular group of products, following points were assigned: never, less than once a month – 1 point; 1–3 times a month – 2; once a week – 3; 2–4 times a week – 4; 5–6 times a week – 5; once a day – 6; 2–3 times a day – 7; 4–5 times a day – 8; more than 6 times a day – 9 points. Statistical processing was carried out using a software package Statistica 6.0. Results Women were more likely to eat fruits (27.37±8.50 points, p=0.000), vegetables (95.56±22.01 points, p=0.000) and cereals (16.02±4.08, p=0,000) than men. The consumption of the above mentioned products increased with age. In comparison with rural population, urban population were more likely to eat fruits in season (27.0±8.66 and 25.8±7.99 points respectively, p=0.028) and nuts (2.25±1.37 and 1.98±1.30 points, p=0.000). University-educated responders compared to less educated respondents more often used the following product groups: grain/cereals (16.15±4.06 and 15.22±4.20 points, p=0.000), nuts (2.40±1.40 and 2.04±1.31 points, p=0.000). High-income respondents compared with low-income subjects were more likely to eat fruits in season (27.75±8.55 and 26.26±8.41 points, p=0.001), vegetables out of season (76.83±18.57 and 74.99±18.49 points, p=0.047), products of animal origin (47.23±10.35 and 45.56±9.99 points, p=0.005). High-income respondents preferred sweets less than respondents with a low-income level. In contrast to single respondents, people living with a family were more like to consume fruits in season (27.00±8.43 and 26.01±8.53, p=0.038), heat-treated vegetables (32.08±8.40 and 30.73±8.55, p=0.001), animal products (47.51±9.84 and 43.06±10.00 points, p=0.000), soups (17.13±4.55 and 16.17±4.61 points, p=0.000), potatoes (25.49±5.33 and 24.20±6.04 points, p=0.000) and bakery products (40.93±7.09 and 39.93±8.04, p=0.008). Conclusion The urban population with a high level of income, educated at university and having a family, as well as women and older age group responders, more often ate fruits and vegetables, cereals, nuts than respondents living in rural areas with a low level of income and education or without family. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Other. Main funding source(s): Pfizer initiative reserch grant