Dietary Pattern and Its Correlates among Lithuanian Young Adults: Mediterranean Diet Approach
A poor diet leads to serious health risks and accounts for a significant proportion of deaths. Young adults are the population whose health behaviors particularly need to be studied in terms of nutrition because they are in a period of life when the effects of nutrition accumulate to health outcomes...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2020-07-01
|
| Series: | Nutrients |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/7/2025 |
| _version_ | 1797563068299870208 |
|---|---|
| author | Brigita Mieziene Arunas Emeljanovas Natalja Fatkulina Rimantas Stukas |
| author_facet | Brigita Mieziene Arunas Emeljanovas Natalja Fatkulina Rimantas Stukas |
| author_sort | Brigita Mieziene |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A poor diet leads to serious health risks and accounts for a significant proportion of deaths. Young adults are the population whose health behaviors particularly need to be studied in terms of nutrition because they are in a period of life when the effects of nutrition accumulate to health outcomes that usually appear later in life in forms of disease or infirmity. The aim of this study is to examine the dietary pattern and its relationships with physical activity and covariates, such as body mass index, gender, age and education among Lithuanian young adults of 18–36 years old. A cross-sectional study was performed among Lithuanian young people aged 18–36 years. Snowball sampling—a non-probability, convenient sampling strategy—was used. In total, data were collected from 3031 study participants: 1723 (56.8%) were male and 1308 (43.2%) were female. The mean age was 23.72 ± 4.80 years. Adherence to a dietary pattern was evaluated using the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS). Physical activity, height, weight and education data were also gathered. About 7% of young people fully complied with the health-related Mediterranean diet, and one-third had poor compliance. Non-compliance is mostly related to the underconsumption of olive oil, nuts, fish, seafood, legumes and wine, as well as the overconsumption of red meat. The female gender (β = 0.26; <i>p</i> < 0.01), higher education (β = 0.30; <i>p</i> < 0.01) and a sufficient level of physical activity (β = 0.15; <i>p</i> < 0.01) predict a healthier diet. These study results should be considered by nutrition policymakers and public health authorities to improve policies and develop intervention plans for improving the nutrition habits of young adults in order to prevent health-damaging outcomes later in their life. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:37:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3d6742a9dc5a4d45929731c8059e41a6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:37:19Z |
| publishDate | 2020-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-3d6742a9dc5a4d45929731c8059e41a62023-11-20T06:07:57ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432020-07-01127202510.3390/nu12072025Dietary Pattern and Its Correlates among Lithuanian Young Adults: Mediterranean Diet ApproachBrigita Mieziene0Arunas Emeljanovas1Natalja Fatkulina2Rimantas Stukas3Institute of Health Sciences, Vilnius University, 03101 Vilnius, LithuaniaInstitute of Health Sciences, Vilnius University, 03101 Vilnius, LithuaniaInstitute of Health Sciences, Vilnius University, 03101 Vilnius, LithuaniaInstitute of Health Sciences, Vilnius University, 03101 Vilnius, LithuaniaA poor diet leads to serious health risks and accounts for a significant proportion of deaths. Young adults are the population whose health behaviors particularly need to be studied in terms of nutrition because they are in a period of life when the effects of nutrition accumulate to health outcomes that usually appear later in life in forms of disease or infirmity. The aim of this study is to examine the dietary pattern and its relationships with physical activity and covariates, such as body mass index, gender, age and education among Lithuanian young adults of 18–36 years old. A cross-sectional study was performed among Lithuanian young people aged 18–36 years. Snowball sampling—a non-probability, convenient sampling strategy—was used. In total, data were collected from 3031 study participants: 1723 (56.8%) were male and 1308 (43.2%) were female. The mean age was 23.72 ± 4.80 years. Adherence to a dietary pattern was evaluated using the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS). Physical activity, height, weight and education data were also gathered. About 7% of young people fully complied with the health-related Mediterranean diet, and one-third had poor compliance. Non-compliance is mostly related to the underconsumption of olive oil, nuts, fish, seafood, legumes and wine, as well as the overconsumption of red meat. The female gender (β = 0.26; <i>p</i> < 0.01), higher education (β = 0.30; <i>p</i> < 0.01) and a sufficient level of physical activity (β = 0.15; <i>p</i> < 0.01) predict a healthier diet. These study results should be considered by nutrition policymakers and public health authorities to improve policies and develop intervention plans for improving the nutrition habits of young adults in order to prevent health-damaging outcomes later in their life.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/7/2025eating habitsnon-Mediterranean countryyoung peoplephysical activitycross-sectional study |
| spellingShingle | Brigita Mieziene Arunas Emeljanovas Natalja Fatkulina Rimantas Stukas Dietary Pattern and Its Correlates among Lithuanian Young Adults: Mediterranean Diet Approach Nutrients eating habits non-Mediterranean country young people physical activity cross-sectional study |
| title | Dietary Pattern and Its Correlates among Lithuanian Young Adults: Mediterranean Diet Approach |
| title_full | Dietary Pattern and Its Correlates among Lithuanian Young Adults: Mediterranean Diet Approach |
| title_fullStr | Dietary Pattern and Its Correlates among Lithuanian Young Adults: Mediterranean Diet Approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dietary Pattern and Its Correlates among Lithuanian Young Adults: Mediterranean Diet Approach |
| title_short | Dietary Pattern and Its Correlates among Lithuanian Young Adults: Mediterranean Diet Approach |
| title_sort | dietary pattern and its correlates among lithuanian young adults mediterranean diet approach |
| topic | eating habits non-Mediterranean country young people physical activity cross-sectional study |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/7/2025 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT brigitamieziene dietarypatternanditscorrelatesamonglithuanianyoungadultsmediterraneandietapproach AT arunasemeljanovas dietarypatternanditscorrelatesamonglithuanianyoungadultsmediterraneandietapproach AT nataljafatkulina dietarypatternanditscorrelatesamonglithuanianyoungadultsmediterraneandietapproach AT rimantasstukas dietarypatternanditscorrelatesamonglithuanianyoungadultsmediterraneandietapproach |