Variations in compliance with starchy food recommendations and consumption of types of starchy foods according to sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics

Abstract

Nutritional recommendations call for balanced, diversified consumption of starchy foods and increased whole-grain food intake. Their efficiency may depend on sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors, for which little information is available. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics and starchy food consumption in a large general population of French adults. Dietary intake was assessed using at least six 24-h dietary records collected, during a 2-year period, from 4574 men and women aged 45-60 years who participated in the Supplémentation en VItamines Minéraux et AntioXydants cohort study in 1995-7. Compliance with the recommendation ($ 3 and , 6 servings/d), non-consumption of whole-grain products, variety and daily cost were compared across sociodemographic and socioeconomic categories using logistic regression and covariance analyses. About 55 % of subjects complied with the starchy food recommendation, with little variation across sociodemographic characteristics. Consumption of whole-grain products was less likely in men (P¼ 0·001), in subjects with a lower education level (P-trend¼ 0·01) and in those belonging to intermediate occupational categories (P¼ 0·02). The variety of starchy food intake increased with education level (P-trend¼ 0·0002) and was lowest for manual workers (P¼0·03). The proportion of daily food cost spent on starchy foods decreased with occupational category (P,0·0001), and was higher in rural areas (P¼ 0·0004). The starchy food budget spent on potatoes decreased with the educational level (P-trend¼ 0·007), whereas it increased for rice and unsweetened breakfast cereals (P-trend¼ 0·001 for both). Public recommendations concerning starchy food variety and whole-grain intake should specifically target subjects with a lower education level and/or occupational category.

Socio-economic differences in food group and nutrient intakes among young women in Ireland

“…For example, lower consumption of fruit and vegetables has been consistently demonstrated among low-SES groups in the UK ( 13 ) , Europe ( 14 ) , Norway ( 15 ) , the Netherlands ( 16 ) , Denmark ( 17 ) , Australia ( 18 ) , New Zealand ( 19 ) and the USA ( 20 ) . Similarly, lower consumption of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals has been reported among low-SES groups in the UK ( 21 ) , France ( 22 ) , Spain ( 23 ) , the USA ( 24 ) and Australia ( 25 ) , while lower wholemeal bread intakes have been observed among low-SES men and women in the UK ( 26 ) . Lower fish intakes have also been observed among low-SES respondents in Switzerland ( 27 ) , Italy ( 28 ) and Spain ( 23 ) , while higher intakes of processed red meats ( 29 – 31 ) , chips and fried potatoes ( 32 , 33 ) , potato-based snacks ( 32 , 34 ) , white bread ( 32 , 35 ) , and sugar-sweetened foods and drinks ( 26 , 36 ) have also been widely reported among these socially disadvantaged groups.…”

Higher adherence to French dietary guidelines and chronic diseases in the prospective SU.VI.MAX cohort

“…Subjects could also choose from two intermediate or two extreme portions, for a total of seven different possible portion sizes (Le Moullec et al, 1996). As previously detailed (Touvier et al, 2010), dietary records that reported o100 or 46000 kcal/day were excluded and further subjects who had 42/3 of their records that reported o800 kcal/day in men and o500 kcal/day in women were excluded. Dietary nutrient intakes were calculated using a food composition table, which included more than 900 foods (Hercberg (coordinator), 2005).…”

Starchy Food Consumption in French Adults: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Profile of Consumers and Contribution to Nutritional Intake in a Web-Based Prospective Cohort

“…Low intake with respect to recommendations for starchy foods has previously been reported in France [26] and in other countries [5,30,31]. The level of adherence was below the one reported for the French SU.VI.MAX study [16], where about 55% of middle-aged subjects complied with the starchy food recommendations (62% for men and 46% for women), 36% were below the recommended level and 8% above, but also below the more recent national nutrition and health survey (Etude Nationale Nutrition Santé, ENNS, 2006-2007) [26,32]. In the ENNS study, 59% of the men and 39% of the women met the recommendation [32].…”

“…Some studies have shown interesting relationships between sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors and starchy food consumption [5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17]. Differences in starchy food consumption according to education level [5,6,10,11,13,16], occupational categories [7,8,14,15], age [16] and gender [16,17] have previously been reported.…”

“…Differences in starchy food consumption according to education level [5,6,10,11,13,16], occupational categories [7,8,14,15], age [16] and gender [16,17] have previously been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between sociodemographic factors and starchy food consumption as well as the nutritional intakes from starchy foods.…”