Dietary intake by gender and level of education: a twenty-year trend in a Swiss adult population

Pedro Marques-Vidal, Eirini Rousi, Fred Paccaud, Jean-Michel Gaspoz, Jean-Marc Theler, Murielle Bochud, Silvia Stringhini, Idris Guessous.
Dietary Intake according to Gender and Education: A Twenty-Year Trend in a Swiss Adult PopulationNutrients, November 2015, doi: 10.3390/nu7115481

Abstract

Method: We assessed trends in dietary intake according to gender and education level using repeated population-based cross-sectional surveys conducted between 1993 and 2012 in Geneva, Switzerland (17,263 participants, 52.0 ± 10.6 years old, 48% male).

Results: Between 1993 and 1999, men with a higher level of education had higher intakes of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), carotene and vitamin D than less educated men, and the differences decreased between 2006 and 2012. Between 1993 and 1999, women with higher levels of education had higher intakes of fibre, iron, carotene, vitamin D and alcohol than less-educated women, and the differences decreased between 2006 and 2012. Intakes of total energy, polyunsaturated fatty acids, retinol and alcohol decreased, while intakes of mono/disaccharides, MUFAs and carotene increased in both genders. Less-educated men experienced greater decreases in saturated fatty acid (SFA) and calcium intake than more-educated men: multivariate-adjusted slope and 95% confidence interval -0.11 (-0.15; -0.06) versus -0.03 (-0.08; 0.02) g/day/year for SFAs and -5.2 (-7.8; -2.7) versus -1.03 (-3.8; 1.8) mg/day/year for calcium, p for interaction < 0.05. Better-educated women experienced a greater reduction in iron intake than less-educated women: -0.03 (-0.04; -0.02) versus -0.01 (-0.02; 0.00) mg/day/year, p for interaction = 0.002.

Conclusion: We conclude that dietary intake in Switzerland changed in a similar way between 1993 and 2012 in the two educational groups. The differences linked to level of education present in 1993 persisted in 2012.

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