Geography of Diet in the UK Women’s Cohort Study: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.
Influences on dietary patterns span a broad spectrum entwining social, economic, demographic, environmental and individual factors. An ecological model framework to investigate how individuals and their environments interact is well documented. However, unpicking such complex relationships is challenging. The use of a geodemographic classification goes some way towards accounting for social and environmental interactions by grouping people with similar demographic and neighbourhood characteristics residing in small geographical
units together.
The aim of this paper is to explore variations in dietary patterns in women across the UK in two ways: at the large scale GOR level and using a geodemographic classification for a smaller scale picture. The regression analysis looked at the likelihood of consuming a particular dietary pattern compared to the “Traditional Meat Chips and Pudding Eater” pattern accounting for place of residence.
The dietary data used in this study were collected in the late 1990s. It is feasible that dietary habits could have changed since this time. However it is rare that dietary information of this quality is collected in such a large sample in the UK. Prospective dietary data collection is essential when considering influence on diseases with a latent development period, such as cancer. Collection dietary records for cancer cases can impact on subject recall of their diet. Therefore the application of these results with respect to the effect of diet on health is relevant, despite possible dietary change since the data was collected.
Epidemiol Open J. 2016; 1(1): 20-32. doi: 10.17140/EPOJ-1-104