Past food habit change is related to obesity, lifestyle and socio-economic factors in the Malmo Diet and Cancer Cohort.
Author
Summary, in English
Objectives: To examine if obesity status and socio-economic and lifestyle factors are
associated with self-reported past food habit change, and also whether the level of
obesity depends on the reason for change.
Design: Cross-sectional analysis within the Malmo Diet and Cancer (MDC) study using
data from the baseline examination and the extensive socio-economic and lifestyle
questionnaire including questions of past food habit change. The risk of having
changed food habits in the past was examined using logistic regression. Mean
differences in obesity status across categories of reasons for past food habit change
were examined using analysis of variance.
Setting: Malmo¨, the third largest city in Sweden.
Subjects: A sub-sample (15 282 women and 9867 men) from the MDC cohort recruited
from 1992 to 1996.
Results: Individuals with body mass index (BMI) .30 kgm22 had an increased risk of
having reported past food habit change compared with individuals with BMI
,25 kgm22 (odds ratio (OR) ¼ 1.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) ¼ 1.48–1.83 for
women; OR ¼ 1.53, 95% CI ¼ 1.32–1.76 for men). The highest level of obesity was
observed among individuals who had changed their diet due to reasons related to the
metabolic syndrome. Changers were more likely to be highly educated and to live
alone, be retired, ex-smokers and non-drinkers at baseline.
Conclusions: Because past food habit change is related to obesity and other lifestyle
and socio-economic factors, a complex confounding situation may exist that could
seriously influence observed relationships between diet and disease. Studies need to
collect information on past food habit change and take this information into account
in the analysis and when interpreting study outcomes.
associated with self-reported past food habit change, and also whether the level of
obesity depends on the reason for change.
Design: Cross-sectional analysis within the Malmo Diet and Cancer (MDC) study using
data from the baseline examination and the extensive socio-economic and lifestyle
questionnaire including questions of past food habit change. The risk of having
changed food habits in the past was examined using logistic regression. Mean
differences in obesity status across categories of reasons for past food habit change
were examined using analysis of variance.
Setting: Malmo¨, the third largest city in Sweden.
Subjects: A sub-sample (15 282 women and 9867 men) from the MDC cohort recruited
from 1992 to 1996.
Results: Individuals with body mass index (BMI) .30 kgm22 had an increased risk of
having reported past food habit change compared with individuals with BMI
,25 kgm22 (odds ratio (OR) ¼ 1.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) ¼ 1.48–1.83 for
women; OR ¼ 1.53, 95% CI ¼ 1.32–1.76 for men). The highest level of obesity was
observed among individuals who had changed their diet due to reasons related to the
metabolic syndrome. Changers were more likely to be highly educated and to live
alone, be retired, ex-smokers and non-drinkers at baseline.
Conclusions: Because past food habit change is related to obesity and other lifestyle
and socio-economic factors, a complex confounding situation may exist that could
seriously influence observed relationships between diet and disease. Studies need to
collect information on past food habit change and take this information into account
in the analysis and when interpreting study outcomes.
Publishing year
2005
Language
English
Pages
876-885
Publication/Series
Public Health Nutrition
Volume
8
Issue
7
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Topic
- Clinical Medicine
Keywords
- Obesity
- Past food habit change
- Lifestyle factors
Status
Published
Research group
- Nutrition Epidemiology
- Diabetes - Cardiovascular Disease
- Internal Medicine - Epidemiology
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 1475-2727