DIETARY PATTERNS AND THEIR ASSOCIATIONS WITH DEMOGRAPHIC, LIFE-STYLE AND HEALTH VARIABLES IN A RANDOM SAMPLE OF BRITISH ADULTS

The present study aimed to identify dietary patterns, from the frequen cy of consumption of food items and some semi-quantitative data, in a random sample of 9003 British adults, and to examine the associations of the main dietary patterns with demographic factors, lifestyle habit s, measures of self-reported health and mortality. Principal component analysis was used to identify four main dietary patterns, and analysi s of variance employed to examine the characteristics associated with them. The four components explained, respectively, 10.2, 7.3, 5.1 and 4.9% of the total dietary variation. Component 1, frequent fruit, sala d and vegetable consumption with infrequent consumption of high-fat fo ods, was associated with middle age, non-manual socio-economic groups, non- and ex-smokers, 'sensible' drinkers, small households, the south of the country, and self-assessed 'excellent' or 'good' health. Compo nent 2, frequent consumption of high-starch foods, most vegetables and meat, was popular with young men, older men and women, large househol ds, non-smokers, non-drinkers and those who viewed themselves as healt hy. Component 3, frequent consumption of high-fat foods, was predomina ntly consumed by young people, smoking women, 'high-risk' drinkers, an d men reporting many illness and/or malaise symptoms. Component 4, hig h positive loadings for sweets, biscuits and cakes, with negative weig htings for vegetables, was most favoured by students, the elderly, tho se living alone, residents in Scotland, but not those in central Engla nd, and those who did not smoke. For women only the first component wa s associated with low all-cause mortality, and the third component wit h excess mortality.