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Stability of dietary patterns in young women over a 2-year period

Stability of dietary patterns in young women over a 2-year period
Stability of dietary patterns in young women over a 2-year period
Objective: To examine the stability of dietary patterns in young women over a two-year period and to identify factors that influence stability.

Design: A food frequency questionnaire was used to assess diet. In a subgroup, this was repeated after 2 years. Questions were asked about major changes to diet over this time. Dietary patterns were identified using principal components analysis and pattern scores were compared at the two time points. The consumption of foods was also examined. The relationship between change in pattern scores and socio-demographic factors and body mass index was assessed.

Setting: The Southampton Women's Survey, a prospective study of diet, health and lifestyle in young women and their influences on fetal growth

Subjects: A subgroup of 94 women from a cohort of 6129 nonpregnant women aged 20–34 years.

Results: Two dietary patterns, labelled ‘prudent’ and ‘high energy’, were identified. Spearman correlation coefficients between the initial and repeat scores for the prudent and high-energy patterns were 0.81 and 0.64, respectively. Average changes (repeat – initial) were 0.13 and ?0.01 SD of initial score. Change in prudent dietary pattern score was influenced by amount of strenuous exercise taken and by changes in partnership status. An increase in high-energy pattern score was associated with lower social class.

Conclusions: Dietary patterns in young women are reasonably stable over a 2-year period. This suggests that dietary patterns identified in the recent past may provide useful information about current dietary patterns.

Sponsorship: The study was funded by the Dunhill Medical Trust, the University of Southampton and the Medical Research Council.


food choice, health benefits, education, focus groups, uk
0954-3007
119-126
Borland, Sharon E.
ee174ad2-1391-4d0f-9bca-13242c568e04
Robinson, Sian M.
ba591c98-4380-456a-be8a-c452f992b69b
Crozier, Sarah R.
f725a749-98a7-47ba-aa6b-8d8e17c72cad
Inskip, Hazel M.
5fb4470a-9379-49b2-a533-9da8e61058b7
Borland, Sharon E.
ee174ad2-1391-4d0f-9bca-13242c568e04
Robinson, Sian M.
ba591c98-4380-456a-be8a-c452f992b69b
Crozier, Sarah R.
f725a749-98a7-47ba-aa6b-8d8e17c72cad
Inskip, Hazel M.
5fb4470a-9379-49b2-a533-9da8e61058b7

Borland, Sharon E., Robinson, Sian M., Crozier, Sarah R. and Inskip, Hazel M. (2008) Stability of dietary patterns in young women over a 2-year period. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 62 (1), 119-126. (doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602684).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Objective: To examine the stability of dietary patterns in young women over a two-year period and to identify factors that influence stability.

Design: A food frequency questionnaire was used to assess diet. In a subgroup, this was repeated after 2 years. Questions were asked about major changes to diet over this time. Dietary patterns were identified using principal components analysis and pattern scores were compared at the two time points. The consumption of foods was also examined. The relationship between change in pattern scores and socio-demographic factors and body mass index was assessed.

Setting: The Southampton Women's Survey, a prospective study of diet, health and lifestyle in young women and their influences on fetal growth

Subjects: A subgroup of 94 women from a cohort of 6129 nonpregnant women aged 20–34 years.

Results: Two dietary patterns, labelled ‘prudent’ and ‘high energy’, were identified. Spearman correlation coefficients between the initial and repeat scores for the prudent and high-energy patterns were 0.81 and 0.64, respectively. Average changes (repeat – initial) were 0.13 and ?0.01 SD of initial score. Change in prudent dietary pattern score was influenced by amount of strenuous exercise taken and by changes in partnership status. An increase in high-energy pattern score was associated with lower social class.

Conclusions: Dietary patterns in young women are reasonably stable over a 2-year period. This suggests that dietary patterns identified in the recent past may provide useful information about current dietary patterns.

Sponsorship: The study was funded by the Dunhill Medical Trust, the University of Southampton and the Medical Research Council.


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More information

Published date: January 2008
Keywords: food choice, health benefits, education, focus groups, uk

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 70301
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/70301
ISSN: 0954-3007
PURE UUID: 3ebee72a-3f37-4de2-bccc-af564cfba45e
ORCID for Sian M. Robinson: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-1766-7269
ORCID for Hazel M. Inskip: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8897-1749

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 03 Feb 2010
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:40

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Contributors

Author: Sharon E. Borland
Author: Sian M. Robinson ORCID iD
Author: Sarah R. Crozier
Author: Hazel M. Inskip ORCID iD

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