WHOSE DIET HAS CHANGED

The same questions about diet were asked in two community-based survey s conducted in the Hunter Region of New South Wales in 1983 and 1994. There were substantial changes in diet over the period; for example, t he proportion of respondents who reported using low-fat or skim milk i ncreased from 25 per cent to 51 per cent, the proportion eating meat f ewer than five times a week doubled from 21 per cent to 42 per cent an d the proportion eating fewer than three eggs per week increased from 55 per cent to 80 per cent. In both surveys, women reported eating a h ealthier diet than men, and older people and those of higher socioecon omic status reported better diets than younger people or people with l ess education or lower status occupations. The surprising finding was that over the 11-year period the changes in patterns of food consumpti on were remarkably similar across all strata of the population. The co nclusions are that wide-spread dietary change is possible. However, th e changes in the last decade related mainly to reducing the risk of ca rdiovascular disease; similar behavioural changes to reduce the risk o f diet-related cancer are required.