Socio-economic differences in the use of dairy fat in Russian and Finnish Karelia, 1994-2004.
OBJECTIVE
To determine socio-economic differences from 1994 to 2004 in the use of butter and milk in Pitkäranta in the Republic of Karelia, Russia and North Karelia, Finland.


METHODS
Health behaviour surveys in Pitkäranta (n = 3,599) and North Karelia (n = 3,652) in 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2004.


RESULTS
A clear overall decrease occurred in the use of butter in cooking in Pitkäranta from 1994 to 2004. In both areas, subjects with lower education used butter in cooking and drank fat-containing milk more often. Regarding butter on bread, the educational patterns in the two areas were opposite: in Pitkäranta, subjects with lower education used butter less often but in North Karelia, they used butter on bread more often. Practically, no changes in socio-economic differences from 1994 to 2004 were observed in either area.


CONCLUSIONS
The socio-economic differences in the use of dairy fat were stable in both areas but larger in North Karelia than in Pitkäranta. Our results support earlier assumptions of a weaker role of education as a determinant of health in Russia than in the western societies.
Paalanen
Laura
L
National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland. laura.paalanen@thl.fi
Prättälä
Ritva
R
Palosuo
Hannele
H
Helakorpi
Satu
S
Laatikainen
Tiina
T
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000818:Animals; D002079:Butter; D004041:Dietary Fats; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008892:Milk; D012426:Russia; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
D004041:Dietary Fats; D002079:Butter