title: A Swiss population-based assessment of dietary habits before and after the March 1996 'mad cow disease' crisis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess differences in dietary habits in the general population of Geneva, Switzerland, after the 1996 (BSE) crisis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Repeated population-based survey during 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Bus Santé 2000 epidemiological observatory of Geneva, Switzerland.
  
  
  METHODS
  A representative sample of 1190 men and 1154 women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dietary habits assessed by a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proportion of women who reported not having eaten beef was 7.7% in 1993-1995 and went up to 14.6% in 1996 (age-adjusted difference +6.4%, 95% CI +2.4 to +10.4). Among men, the proportion of non-beef-eaters remained constant (5%). There was a sharp increase of women who did not eat liver (+14.7%, +9.1 to +20.3) but less so in men (+2 5.1%, -0.7 to +10.8). Among women who ate meat, the amount of beef intake decreased by 120 g/month (95% CI -208 to -36). While chicken intake increased (+44 g/month, -2 to 88), overall intake of meat (including poultry but not fish) declined by 204 g/month (or 2.7 kg per year). In men the decrease in beef intake was not statistically significant (-48 g/month, -172 to 80), but consumption of chicken increased (+2 56g/month, +8 to +104). Fish intake was stable in both genders. The reduction in intake of animal protein (-3.5 g/day) in women and of retinol intake in both sexes (women -77 micrograms/day; men -56 micrograms/day) was statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The BSE crisis coincided with spontaneous differences in food habits, especially in women, that may have nutritional consequences at the population level.
authors: Division of Clinical Epidemiology, University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Morabia
authors: M S
authors: MS
authors: Bernstein
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Héritier
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Beer-Borst
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002417:Cattle; D002645:Chickens; D007562:Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D004032:Diet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D015930:Diet Records; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat; D008875:Middle Aged; D011897:Random Allocation; D012737:Sex Factors; D012756:Sheep; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013552:Swine; D013557:Switzerland