Independent association between socio-economic indicators and consumption of macro- and micro-nutrients in Switzerland

Carlos de Mestral, Pedro Marques-Vidal, Jean-Michel Gaspoz, Jean-Marc Theler, Idris Guessous.
Independent association between socioeconomic indicators and macro- and micro-nutrient intake in Switzerland., PLoS One, April 2017, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174578.
Abstract

Background: Socioeconomic differences in diet are rarely assessed with more than one indicator. We sought to assess differences in macro- and micro-nutrient consumption in both sexes as a function of education, income and occupation.

Methods: We used data from a validated food frequency questionnaire, measuring food consumption in 5087 participants (2157 of whom were women) from annual cross-sectional surveys conducted from 2005 to 2012 among the adult population of the canton of Geneva, Switzerland. For each of the three socio-economic indicators, we used two multivariate ANOVA models: one adjusted for age, and the other adjusted for multiple variables.

Results: Men with a low level of education consumed more calcium but less vitamin D than men with a high level of education; men with a low income consumed less total and animal protein (80.9±0.9 vs 84.0±0.6 g/d; 55.6±1.0 vs 59.5±0.7 g/d) and more total carbohydrates and sugars (246±2 vs 235±2 g/d; 108±2 vs 103±1 g/d) than men with a high income. No association was found between occupation and diet. Women with a low level of education consumed less vegetable protein (20.7±0.2 vs 21.6±0.2 g/d), fibre (15.7±0.3 vs 16.8±0.2 g/d) and carotene (4222±158 vs 4870±128 μg/d) than women with a high level of education; low-income women consumed more total carbohydrates (206±2 vs 197±1 g/d) and less monounsaturated fat (27.7±0.4 vs 29.3±0.3 g/d) than high-income women. Finally, women with low occupational status consumed more total energy (1792±27 vs 1714±15 kcal/d) and total carbohydrates (206±2 vs 200±1 g/d), but less saturated fat (23.0±0.3 vs 24.4±0.2 g/d), calcium (935±17 vs 997±10 mg/d) and vitamin D (2.5±0.1 vs 2.9±0.1 μg/d), than women with high occupational status.

Conclusion: In Switzerland, the influence of socio-economic factors on nutrient consumption differs according to sex; income and education determine differences in men, but not occupation; in women, these three indicators appear to play a role. Interventions aimed at reducing inequalities should take into account the influence of education, income and occupation on dietary practices, in order to be most effective.
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