A Cross-sectional Study On Dietary Patterns And Nutrients Among Mid-aged And Elderly Women In Urban Shanghai

【Background】With the rapid development of global economy,the incidence and mortality of chronic non-communicable diseases remain increasing while those of the infectious diseases show a significant decreased trend around the world.Great changes in individual lifestyle and diet patterns linked to economy development may account for the transformation.Numerous epidemiological studies have indicated that foods, nutrients and dietary patterns are associated with the risk of some chronic diseases, such as cancer,cardiovascular disease and diabetes.Therefore,to elucidate dietary status in a certain population could not only obtain an index of economic development in the area but also have significant public health implication.Therefore numerous dietary surveys have been and more will be carried out in both developed and developing countries.Large-scale dietary surveys,however,are still rare in Chinese population.【Objectives】To evaluate the dietary status and determinant factors among middle- and elderly-aged women in urban Shanghai,and thus provide valuable information for future studies on food,nutrients,dietary pattern and diseases.Specifically,1.to calculate and compare the average intake of each food group and each nutrient by demographic characteristics such as age,BMI,family income,and educational levels.2.to derive dietary patterns among participants with multivariable analysis and evaluate the associations of the dietary patterns with socio-demographic characteristics and lifestyle factors.【Subjects】74,816 participants of the Shanghai Women's Health Study,a prospective female cohort study established in 1997～2000,were included in this study.Detailed dietary information was collected for these subjects using a validated,quantitative food frequency questionnaire.【Statistical methods】Descriptive analysis was carded out to estimate the average levels of food groups and nutrients intake in the population.Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare the intake levels between subgroups.Residual method was used to derive energy-adjusted variables.Factor analysis was performed to extract the dietary patterns among participants.Unconditional logistic regress model was used to examine the associations of dietary patterns with socio-demographic characteristics and lifestyle factors.【Results】The average daily intakes of soy,fruit,red meat,poultry,egg,fish,rice, vegetable and milk were 140.93g,264.26g,50.76g,15.23g,27.07g,50.65g,315.06g, 296.08g and 70.09g,respectively,and the average intakes of energy,protein,fat, carbohydrate,cholesterol,fiber,vitamin A,carotene,retinal,vitamin B1,vitamin B2, niacin,vitamin C,vitamin E,potassium,calcium,magnesium,iron,manganese,zinc, copper,phosphorus,selenium,and folic-acid were 7,002.04 kJ,67.05g,29.36g, 284.98g,300.45mg,10.97mg,663.96μg,2,913.73μg,178.27μg,0.91μg,0.85mg, 14.23mg,90.82mg,13.49mg,1777.79mg,465.43mg,276.02mg,18.83mg,5.89mg, 10.78mg,2.17mg,966.50mg,45.42μg,and 290.91μg,respectively.Protein,fat,and carbohydrate,three macro nutrients,accounted for 15.9%,15.6%and 68.5%of the total energy intake,respectively.The food and nutrient intakes were related to some socio-demographic or lifestyle factors such as age,BMI,income and education, especially by education.Three main diet patterns,"vegetable and fruit diet","meat diet" and "rice and soy diet",were derived among women living in urban Shanghai.The vegetable and fruit diet,characterized with high consumption of vegetable,fruit,soy and fish,was usually consumed in younger women or women with professional work,high education,low family income,and high BMI or women never smoking but drinking alcohol and tea.Meat diet,on the other hand,was characterized with high consumption of red meat,poultry,egg,rice,milk and fish.Women consuming meat diet trended to be young,with professional work,high education and low BMI,never smoking but drinking tea.Rice and soy diet,which was characterized with high consumption of rice and soy but low consumption of milk,were generally consumed by women with low socioeconomic status and related to smoking and high BMI.【Conclusions】1.A women living in urban Shanghai intake plenty of soy and fruit and enough meat,egg,fish and rice but consume relatively less vegetable and insufficient dairy products.2.The diet among middle- and elderly-aged women in urban Shanghai is plant dominant and seems appropriate in a health view.3.Intakes of carbohydrate,folic-acid and iron in this population are relatively high while those of fat and calcium are relatively low compared with other countries.4.Intakes of most food groups and nutrients are observed higher among younger, well-educated and well-paid women. 5.Three main dietary patterns,vegetable and fruit diet,meat diet,rice and soy diet,exit in the study population,and the rice and soy diet appears to be a special dietary pattern in urban Shanghai.The choice of a certain dietary pattern is related to and possibly determined by some socio-demographic or lifestyle factors.