Comparison of dietary trends between two counties with and without a cardiovascular prevention program : a population-based cross-sectional study in northern Sweden

• Published in: Public Health Nutrition
• Main Authors: Törmä, Johanna, Lundqvist, Robert, Eliasson, Mats, Nilsson, Lena Maria, Oskarsson, Viktor, Wennberg, Maria
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Umeå universitet, Avdelningen för medicin 2022
• Subjects: alcohol; carbohydrates; cardiovascular disease; dietary patterns; fat; healthy foods; prevention program; protein; unhealthy foods; Nutrition and Dietetics; Näringslära; Public Health; Global Health; Social Medicine and Epidemiology; Folkhälsovetenskap; global hälsa; socialmedicin och epidemiologi; Northern Sweden; Norrbotten
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-186577; https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980021003050

Objective: To compare temporal trends, over a 20-year period, in dietary habits between a county (Västerbotten) with a cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention program and a county (Norrbotten) without such a program. Design: Cross-sectional data from the Northern Sweden MONICA study (survey period 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014). Dietary habits were assessed by a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Setting: Counties of Norrbotten and Västerbotten, Northern Sweden. Participants: Five thousand four hundred Swedish adults (mean age 56.9 years; 51.2% women) from Västerbotten (47%) and Norrbotten (53%). Results: No differences in temporal trend for estimated percentage of energy intake from total carbohydrates, total fat, total protein, and alcohol were observed between the counties (p for interaction ≥0.33). There were no between-county difference in temporal trends for overall diet quality (assessed by the Healthy Diet Score; p for interaction = 0.36). Nor were there any between-county differences for intake of whole grain products, fruits, vegetables, fish, sweetened beverages or fried potatoes (p for interaction ≥ 0.09). Consumption of meat (p for interaction = 0.05) increased to a greater extent in Norrbotten from 2009 and onwards, mainly in men (sex-specific analyses, p for interaction = 0.04). Men in Västerbotten decreased their intake of sweets to a greater extent than men in Norrbotten (p for interaction <0.01). Conclusions: Over a 20-year period in northern Sweden, only small differences in dietary habits were observed in favor of a county with a CVD prevention program compared to a county without such a program.