The Mediterranean score of dietary habits in Chinese populations in four different geographical areas

Objective: To compare the dietary intake of Chinese people living in Pan Yu , Hong Kong, San Francisco and Sydney with respect to cardiovascular health , using the Mediterranean diet score, examining the effects of age, gender, urbanization and acculturation on the diet score. Subjects: A total of 500 men and 510 women in Hong Kong were recruited as a territory-wide stratified random sample. Subjects were recruited in respon se to local advertisements for the other three sites: Pan Yu, 58 men, 95 wo men; San Francisco, 166 men, 192 women; Sydney, 95 men, 73 women. Method: Food-frequency questionnaire over a 7 week period A high/healthy sc ore was taken as greater than or equal to4 for men and greater than or equa l to3 for women, representing a dietary pattern beneficial for cardiovascul ar health. Results: In Hong Kong, more women in the middle age group (35-54) had a hig h score than other age,groups, and overall more women had high scores than men. In comparing the four geographical regions, Pan Yu had the highest num ber of subjects with high score, and Hong Kong had the lowest. With the exc eption of the younger population and men in Hong Kong, the percentage of th e population with a high score in ail sites is greater than among elderly G reeks consuming a more traditional heart-healthy Mediterranean diet. Conclusion: Considerable variations in Chinese dietary patterns exist with respect to age, gender and geographic location. Overall, the Chinese diet i s comparable to the Mediterranean diet and may be expected to have similar health benefits that have been documented for the traditional Mediterranean diet.