Abstract
The objectives were to assess whether social support for healthy eating and perceived food environment are associated with diet quality, and to investigate if sociodemographic characteristics moderate these associations. A probability sample of French-speaking adults from the Province of Québec, Canada, was recruited in the context of the PREDISE study. Participants reported their perceptions of supportive and non-supportive actions related to healthy eating from close others at home and outside of home (n = 952), and of the accessibility to healthy foods (n = 1035). The Canadian Healthy Eating Index (C-HEI) was calculated based on three Web-based 24 h food recalls. Multiple linear regression models showed that supportive (B = 1.50 (95% CI 0.46, 2.54)) and non-supportive (B = −3.06 (95% CI −4.94, −1.18)) actions related to healthy eating from close others at home were positively and negatively associated with C-HEI, respectively, whereas actions from close others outside of home were not. The negative association between non-supportive actions occurring at home and C-HEI was stronger among participants with lower (vs. higher) levels of education (p interaction = 0.03). Perceived accessibility to healthy foods was not associated with C-HEI (p > 0.05). These results suggest that the social environment may have a stronger influence on healthy eating than the perceived physical environment. This adds support for healthy eating promotion programs involving entire families, especially for more socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals, whose efforts to eat healthily may be more easily thwarted by non-supportive households.
Highlights
A wide range of determinants have a potential influence on dietary intakes and eating behaviors [1].It has been proposed that determinants of healthy behaviors can be differentiated into three broad interrelated categories, namely motivations, abilities, and opportunities [2,3]
The objectives of this study were 1) to assess whether and how social support for healthy eating is associated with overall diet quality and to investigate if sociodemographic characteristics moderate these associations, and 2) to whether and how perceived food environment is associated with overall diet quality to investigate if sociodemographic characteristics moderate these associations, in a sample of French-speaking adults from the Province of Québec, Canada
Materials and Methods assess whether and how perceived food environment is associated with overall diet quality to investigate if sociodemographic characteristics moderate these associations, in a sample of French-speaking adults
Summary
A wide range of determinants have a potential influence on dietary intakes and eating behaviors [1].It has been proposed that determinants of healthy behaviors can be differentiated into three broad interrelated categories, namely motivations, abilities, and opportunities [2,3]. While the first two categories are considered as personal or individual determinants, the third relates to the social and physical environments that contribute to opportunities for engaging in healthy behaviors. While various individual factors have been widely investigated in observational and intervention studies over the last decades, there is a growing scientific interest on determinants related to the social and physical environments that can influence food intake. Most studies that have investigated the association between social factors and food intake to date have targeted specific subgroups of the population such as older adults [9,10,11], adolescents and children [12,13], or individuals affected by specific diseases [14,15]. Whether social support provided by family and friends towards healthy eating facilitates overall healthier eating habits remains uncertain
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