Age, sex, educational attainment, and race/ethnicity in relation to consumption of specific foods contributing to the atherogenic potential of diet.
BACKGROUND
We examined which specific foods contributed to the atherogenic potential of diet in population segments defined by age, sex, educational attainment, and race/ethnicity. Data from the 1989 New York State Healthy Heart Program baseline survey were analyzed.


METHODS
This telephone survey was conducted in eight communities (total population approximately 1.24 million people) in New York State. Response rate was 65.5% (N = 4,179); 3,606 subjects ages 20 to 64 years who reported their level of educational attainment with self-described ethnicity of white (N = 1,935), black (N = 1,035), or Hispanic (N = 636) were retained in the analysis. Diet was assessed using a 17-item food frequency questionnaire which focused on commonly eaten food high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Connor's cholesterol/saturated-fat index was used as a scale of the atherogenic potential of the diet.


RESULTS
Eggs, whole milk, cheese, beef, and butter/margarine were the foods contributing most to the cholesterol/saturated-fat index score in all age-, sex-, and race/ethnicity-specific population segments examined, together contributing a total of 52 to 72% of the cholesterol/saturated-fat index score as measured by the 17-item diet questionnaire.


CONCLUSIONS
The implication for public health campaigns directed at reducing the atherogenic potential of diet atherogenicity and for primary care practitioners seeking to influence the diet of patients with high blood cholesterol is that substitutions of less atherogenic food choices for these five foods would appear to be appropriate for most adults.
Shea
S
S
Department of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York.
Melnik
T A
TA
Stein
A D
AD
Zansky
S M
SM
Maylahn
C
C
Basch
C E
CE
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology*; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D003611:Dairy Products / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004034:Diet Surveys; D004036:Diet, Atherogenic; D004041:Dietary Fats; D004435:Eating; D004522:Educational Status; D004531:Eggs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population; D044465:White People
D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D004041:Dietary Fats