A Comparison of Diet Quality in a Sample of Rural and Urban Australian Adults

Abstract

The diet quality of rural Australians is under researched. Characterising disparities in diet quality between rural and urban populations may inform targeted interventions in at- risk groups. A cross-sectional study aimed to determine the relationship between diet quality, rurality and sociodemographic characteristics in a sample of Australian adults. Participants were recruited at rural and regional events between 2017 and 2020, in New South Wales, Australia. Diet quality was measured using the Healthy Eating Quiz or Australian Eating Survey to generate an Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS). ARFS was compared by rurality and sociodemographic characteristics using multivariate regression. Participants (n = 247; 53% female) had a mean ± SD ARFS of 34.5 ± 9.0. There was no significant effect of rurality on ARFS (β-coefficient = −0.4; 95%CI −3.0, 2.3). Compared to participants aged 18–30 years, higher ARFS was evident for those aged 31–50 (β = 5.4; 95%CI 0.3, 10.4), 51–70 (β = 4.4; 95%CI 0.3, 8.5) and >71 years (β = 6.5; 95% CI 1.6–11.4). Compared to those living alone, participants living with a partner (β = 5.2; 95%CI 2.0, 8.4) and families with children (β = 5.6; 95%CI 1.4, 9.8) had significantly higher ARFS. ARFS was significantly lower with each additional self-reported chronic health condition (β = −1.4; 95%CI −2.3, −0.4). Our results indicate that diet quality as defined by the ARFS was classified as ‘getting there’ and that age, living arrangements and chronic health conditions, but not rurality, influenced diet quality in a sample of Australian adults.

Characterizing the Health of Older Rural Australians Attending Rural Events: Implications for Future Health Promotion Opportunities

“…This equates to a diet quality categorized as ‘getting there’. In our previously reported comparison of diet quality with CHAaRGE:20 participants of other age groups, those aged over 71 years had higher scores for diet quality compared to 18–30-year-old participants [ 30 ]. Several risk factors that relate to lower diet quality were reported here.…”

“…Several risk factors that relate to lower diet quality were reported here. For example, previous research has shown that living alone is one such risk factor [ 30 , 33 ]. Approximately one third of this sample lived alone, and is consistent with other populations [ 1 ].…”

“…Participants needed to be able to read and follow instructions in English and physically able to stand for height and weight measures. However, only people providing their age as over 65 years were included in this analysis, with the full data set for all age groups reported elsewhere in an analysis of diet quality [ 30 ]. Attendees under the influence of drugs or alcohol were considered ineligible.…”

Trends and Factors Associated with Obesity Prevalence in Rural Australian Adults—Comparative Analysis of the Crossroads Studies in Victoria over 15 Years

“…In addition, participants who indicated that they consume fat-based spreads showed higher odds of obesity. Previous reports have linked excess caloric intake to chronic diseases [ 15 , 31 ]. In one study, overconsumption of fats increased the risk of obesity, coronary heart disease, diabetes, and cancer [ 31 ] and in another, a better quality diet resulted in better quality of life and greater emotional wellbeing, especially among women [ 32 ].…”

“…The key outcome variable in the study was obesity prevalence in surveyed towns (as calculated from weight and height measured at the clinic), which was categorized in binary form as a “Yes” (1 = if the participant had obesity [ 1 , 8 , 14 ]) and otherwise “No” (0). Previous studies on obesity prevalence, especially from rural areas [ 7 , 8 , 15 , 16 , 17 ], played a role in the exploratory variables selected for the study based on the data available in the pooled dataset. These variables were grouped into five classes: The demographic level factors included age group, gender, ethnicity (Australia born versus non-Australia born) and place of residence (rural or regional).…”