Abstract
The aim of the study was to identify time trends and socio-demographic disparities in Portuguese food habits and to compare Portuguese food habits to those of other European countries. Data collected through the Portuguese Household Budget Surveys (HBS) of 1989/1990, 1994/1995 and 2000/2001 were analysed. The classification scheme developed in the context of the Data Food Networking (DAFNE) initiative was applied to form comparable food and beverage groups. The mean availability in quantity/person per day was estimated for the overall population and by socio-demographic groups (according to locality of the dwelling, education and occupation of the household head). Trends in food availability suggest a departure from the traditional Mediterranean dietary pattern. In 2000, Portugal was among the European countries with high daily availability of several of the components of the Mediterranean diet. The Portuguese were identified among the highest consumers of cereals, pulses, fruits, potatoes, fish and seafood, fats and oils (mainly of vegetable origin) and alcoholic beverages (wine in particular), but also of meat and meat products, and among the lowest consumers of vegetables, milk and milk products, eggs, sugar and sugar products, fruit and vegetable juices, soft drinks and stimulants (coffee, tea and cocoa). Even if socio-demographic disparities in food availability have narrowed in the 1990s, they can still be identified in the most recent 2000 data. Despite some methodological constraints, data derived from the DAFNE databank contributed to better documentation of Portuguese food habits and allowed evaluation of the country’s situation compared to other European countries.
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Acknowledgements
This study was conducted in the context of the DAFNE IV project entitled “European food availability databank based on household budget surveys” of the DG SANCO of the European Commission.
The authors gratefully acknowledge the “Instituto Nacional de Estatística”, the Portuguese institution responsible for the household budget surveys, for allowing us the use of its databases.
The first author is a PhD student with a scholarship supported by PRODEP III of the European Union.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors disclose that there are no relevant associations that might pose a conflict of interest.
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Rodrigues, S.S.P., Naska, A., Trichopoulou, A. et al. Availability of foods and beverages in nationally representative samples of Portuguese households from 1990 to 2000: the DAFNE initiative. J Public Health 15, 211–220 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-007-0092-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-007-0092-6