Healthy dietary habits in relation to social determinants and lifestyle factors

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the importance of social statu s and lifestyle for dietary habits, since these factors may influence life expectancy. We studied the association of four indicators for healthy dieta ry habits (fruits and vegetables, fibre, fat and Hegsted score) with sex, a ge, socio-economic status, education, physical leisure exercise, smoking an d personal attention paid to keeping a healthy diet. Data were gathered wit h a self-administered quantitative food-frequency questionnaire distributed to a representative sample of Norwegian men and women aged 16-79 years in a national dietary survey, of whom 3144 subjects (63 %) responded. Age and female sex were positively associated with indicators for healthy dietary h abits. By separate evaluation length of education, regular physical leisure exercise and degree of attention paid to keeping a healthy diet were posit ively associated with all four indicators for healthy dietary habits in bot h sexes. Socio-economic status, location of residence and smoking habits we re associated with from one to three indicators for healthy dietary habits. In a multiple regression model, age, education and location of residence t ogether explained from 1 to 9 % of the variation (R-2) in the four dietary indicators. Length of education was significantly associated with three of four dietary indicators both among men and women. By including the variable 'attention paid to keeping a healthy diet' in the model, R-2 increased to between 4 and 15 % for the four dietary indicators. Length of education rem ained correlated to three dietary indicators among women, and one indicator among men, after adjusting for attention to healthy diet, age and location of residence. Residence in cities remained correlated to two indicators am ong men, but none among women, after adjusting for age, education and atten tion to healthy diet. In conclusion, education was associated with indicato rs of a healthy diet. Attention to healthy diet showed the strongest and mo st consistent association with all four indicators for healthy dietary habi ts in both sexes. This suggests that personal preferences may be just as im portant for having a healthy diet as social status determinants.