Changes in socio-economic differences in food habits over time

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Nutritional Epidemiology
• Socioeconomic Determinants of Health

Background:

• Understanding socioeconomic disparities in food habits is crucial for public health interventions.
• Longitudinal data can reveal changes in dietary patterns over time and across different social strata.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze absolute socioeconomic differences in food habits among Finnish municipal employees.
• To investigate how these food habits and their associated socioeconomic differences changed over a 5-7 year follow-up period.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal study utilizing data from the Helsinki Health Study survey (2000-2002 and 2007).
• Included socioeconomic and sociodemographic variables alongside data on seven recommended food habits.
• Employed the slope index of inequality (SII) to quantify socioeconomic differences.

Main Results:

• Overall consumption of recommended food items increased or remained stable.
• Socioeconomic differences widened for fresh vegetables, fish, and use of vegetable-based margarine/oil in cooking, with higher consumption in upper classes.
• Men exhibited larger socioeconomic disparities in vegetable consumption compared to women.

Conclusions:

• Recommended food consumption improved within the cohort over time, with similar increases across socioeconomic groups.
• Socioeconomic differences in dietary habits largely remained stable, though upper classes demonstrated better adherence to guidelines for specific food groups.
• Targeted interventions may be needed to address persistent socioeconomic disparities in healthy eating.