Noncompliance with hand hygiene guidelines is a universal problem, which calls for standardized measures for research and monitoring. Theoretical models from the behavioral sciences should be used internationally and should be adapted to better explain the complexities of hand hygiene.

BackgroundThe specific role of major socio-economic indicators in influencing food preparation behaviours could reveal distinct socio-economic patterns, thus enabling mechanisms to be understood that contribute to social inequalities in health. This study investigated whether there was an independent association of each socio-economic indicator (education, occupation, income) with food preparation behaviours.MethodsA total of 62,373 adults participating in the web-based NutriNet-Santé cohort study were included in our cross-sectional analyses. Cooking skills, preparation from scratch and kitchen equipment were assessed using a 0–10-point score; frequency of meal preparation, enjoyment of cooking and willingness to cook better/more frequently were categorical variables. Independent associations between socio-economic factors (education, income and occupation) and food preparation behaviours were assessed using analysis of covariance and logistic regression models stratified by sex. The models simultaneously included the three socio-economic indicators, adjusting for age, household composition and whether or not they were the main cook in the household.ResultsParticipants with the lowest education, the lowest income group and female manual and office workers spent more time preparing food daily than participants with the highest education, those with the highest income and managerial staff (P < 0.0001). The lowest educated individuals were more likely to be non-cooks than those with the highest education level (Women: OR = 3.36 (1.69;6.69); Men: OR = 1.83 (1.07;3.16)) while female manual and office workers and the never-employed were less likely to be non-cooks (OR = 0.52 (0.28;0.97); OR = 0.30 (0.11;0.77)). Female manual and office workers had lower scores of preparation from scratch and were less likely to want to cook more frequently than managerial staff (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001). Women belonging to the lowest income group had a lower score of kitchen equipment (P < 0.0001) and were less likely to enjoy cooking meal daily (OR = 0.68 (0.45;0.86)) than those with the highest income.ConclusionLowest socio-economic groups, particularly women, spend more time preparing food than high socioeconomic groups. However, female manual and office workers used less raw or fresh ingredients to prepare meals than managerial staff. In the unfavourable context in France with reduced time spent preparing meals over last decades, our findings showed socioeconomic disparities in food preparation behaviours in women, whereas few differences were observed in men.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12937-017-0281-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objective: To determine whether there are socioeconomic differences in the intakes of total fat, fatty acids and fruit among adults in the Netherlands using childhood (parental) and participant's own socioeconomic position (SEP). Furthermore, to quantify the independent effects of childhood and adulthood SEP on dietary behavior in adulthood. Design: Cross-sectional study among participants in the GLOBE study. Subjects: A total of 2512 men and women, aged 25-78 y, living in a region in the southeast Netherlands. Methods: Dietary intakes were collected by an interviewer-administered quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Average daily intakes of total energy, total, saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated fat and fruit were calculated. The highest educational level was used to classify the participant's adulthood SEP. Parental indicators (mother's education and father's occupation when participants were 12 y of age) were used to classify childhood SEP. Results: Males with lower levels of education had moderately higher energy intakes than their more educated counterparts, but did not differ in their intakes of total fat, fatty acids and fruit. Among females, the least educated groups had marginally higher intakes of total and monounsaturated fat than the most educated group, and were less likely to consume fruit. For most of these significant differences, the participant's own education demonstrated independent effects that were consistent with chronic disease inequalities. A small residual effect of mother's education was also demonstrated for intakes of some nutrients for males and females, and for fruit consumption among females. However, the effect size of mother's education was rather small and not always consistent with disease inequalities. Conclusions:The results imply that socioeconomic disparities in intakes of some dietary factors may contribute to inequalities in chronic disease. Adulthood SEP potentially has a more direct influence on dietary intake inequalities than childhood SEP.

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