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A multilevel study of socio-economic inequalities in food choice behaviour and dietary intake among the Dutch population: the GLOBE study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

Katrina Giskes ,
Gavin Turrell ,
Frank J van Lenthe ,
Johannes Brug  and
Johan P Mackenbach
Katrina Giskes*
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands and School of Public Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
Gavin Turrell
Affiliation:
School of Public Health, Queensland University of Technology, Victoria Park Rd, Kelvin Grove, Brisbane, Queensland 4059, Australia
Frank J van Lenthe
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Center, PO Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Johannes Brug
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Center, PO Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Johan P Mackenbach
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Center, PO Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands
*
*Corresponding author: Email k.giskes@erasmusmc.nl
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Abstract

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Objective

To examine the influence of individual- and area-level socio-economic characteristics on food choice behaviour and dietary intake.

Setting

The city of Eindhoven in the south-east Netherlands.

Design

A total of 1339 men and women aged 25–79 years were sampled from 85 areas (mean number of participants per area = 18.4, range 2–49). Information on socio-economic position (SEP) and diet was collected by structured face-to-face interviews (response rate 80.9%). Individual-level SEP was measured by education and household income, and area-level deprivation was measured using a composite index that included residents' education, occupation and employment status. Diet was measured on the basis of (1) a grocery food index that captured compliance with dietary guidelines, (2) breakfast consumption and (3) intakes of fruit, total fat and saturated fat. Multilevel analyses were performed to examine the independent effects of individual- and area-level socio-economic characteristics on the dietary outcome variables.

Results

After adjusting for individual-level SEP, few trends or significant effects of area deprivation were found for the dietary outcomes. Significant associations were found between individual-level SEP and food choice, breakfast consumption and fruit intake, with participants from disadvantaged backgrounds being less likely to report food behaviours or nutrient intakes consistent with dietary recommendations.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that an individual's socio-economic characteristics play a more important role in shaping diet than the socio-economic characteristics of the area in which they live. In this Dutch study, no independent influence of area-level socio-economic characteristics on diet was detected, which contrasts with findings from the USA, the UK and Finland.

Keywords

Food choiceSocio-economic positionEducationIncomeArea deprivationMultilevel
Type
Research Article
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 9 , Issue 1 , February 2006 , pp. 75 - 83
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2006

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