Mediterranean diet in the southern Croatia – does it still exist?

Abstract

AimTo assess the adherence to the Mediterranean diet in the population of Dalmatia in southern Croatia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was performed within the 10 001 Dalmatians cohort, encompassing 2768 participants from Korčula and Vis islands and the City of Split, who were recruited during 2011-2014. Using the data obtained from food frequency questionnaire we calculated the Mediterranean Diet Serving Score (MDSS). Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the characteristics associated with the adherence to the Mediterranean diet, with age, sex, place of residence, education attainment, smoking, and physical activity as covariates.ResultsThe median MDSS score was 11 out of 24 points (interquartile range 8-13), with the highest score recorded on the island of Vis. Participants reported a dietary pattern that had high compliance with the Mediterranean diet guidelines for consumption of cereals (87% met the criteria), potatoes (73%), olive oil (69%), and fish (61%), moderate for consumption of fruit (54%) and vegetables (31%), and low for consumption of nuts (6%). Overall, only 23% of the participants were classified as being adherent to the Mediterranean diet, with a particularly low percentage among younger participants (12%) compared to the older ones (34%). Men were less likely to show good adherence (odds ratio 0.52, 95% confidence interval 0.42-0.65).ConclusionThis study revealed rather poor compliance with the current recommendations on the Mediterranean diet composition in the population of Dalmatia. Public health intervention is especially needed in younger age groups and in men, who show the greatest departure from traditional Mediterranean diet and lifestyle.

The Association between Salt Taste Perception, Mediterranean Diet and Metabolic Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Overall, compliance with the Mediterranean diet was rather low in our subjects (23%). As we reported previously, it was particularly low in younger age groups, and lower in men compared to women [17]. Unfortunately, this departure from the traditional Mediterranean diet in the population of Dalmatia represents potentially invaluable losses in the domains of population health, environmental sustainability, local economy and cultural heritage preservation [67].…”

“…A recent study showed an increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity from 22.9% in 1999 to 25.0% in 2016 among children aged 2 to 13 years in the Mediterranean part of Europe [15]. One of the explanations for this trend is departure from the traditional lifestyle and Mediterranean diet, especially in younger people from Mediterranean countries [16,17]. Interestingly, it was found that change in the food supply in the Mediterranean area, especially more readily available mass-produced food from the long supply chain (opposite from the local food markets) was associated with MetS [18].…”

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“…However, the results indicate that the participants are informed about healthy food choices and their benefits. The confirmation of this statement comes from the results of a similar study which assessed the dietary choices in this population in 2011, 8 years later, and showed a higher level of compliance with the Mediterranean diet, which either implies a positive trend in dietary habits, or at least an even higher level of knowledge concerning healthy nutrition among the participants of the study …”

“…It contained six potential answers (every day, 2–3 times a week, once a week, once a month, rarely, never) regarding the frequency of consumption of various foods (milk and dairy products, meat and meat products, fish and fish products, eggs, vegetables, fruit and fruit products, cereals and cereal products, confectionery, and the type of fat used in the preparation of meals). The same FFQ was also used to evaluate the adherence to the Mediterranean diet using the Mediterranean Diet Serving Score (MDSS) method described by Monteagudo et al and used by Kolčić et al for the three Croatian populations. MDSS is an instrument created to assess the Mediterranean diet adherence based on the consumption of 14 groups of foods adding 1, 2 or 3 points based on the consumption frequency and the relative importance of particular foods.…”

“…In a study that addressed the current adherence to the Mediterranean diet in Dalmatia, Mediterranean part of Croatia (populations of the city of Split, islands Vis and Korčula), an overall compliance with crucial elements of this type of diet–traditional in those locations–was found to be low . Among the three investigated populations, the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity was found in the island of Vis, that is at the same time characterised by the highest adherence to the Mediterranean diet elements . Therefore, this population, in addition to other lifestyle changes brought by globalisation, makes it an interesting model for the investigation of the influence of risk factors on the occurrence of obesity…”