title: Nutrition knowledge is associated with higher adherence to Mediterranean diet and lower prevalence of obesity. Results from the Moli-sani study.
abstract: A Mediterranean dietary pattern has been associated with reducing the risk of cardiovascular and chronic disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of nutrition knowledge in determining possible differences among dietary patterns in a general population from a Mediterranean region. We conducted a cross-sectional study on a subsample of 744 subjects enrolled in the population-based cohort of the Moli-sani Project. A 92-item questionnaire on nutrition knowledge was elaborated, validated and administered. Dietary information were obtained from the EPIC food frequency questionnaire and adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern was evaluated both by the a priori Greek Mediterranean diet score and the a posteriori approach obtained by principal component analysis. Nutrition knowledge was significantly associated with higher adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern. The odds of having higher adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern increased with greater nutrition knowledge. The odds ratio of being obese significantly decreased with increasing nutrition knowledge levels. The results showed that nutrition knowledge was significantly associated with higher adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern and with lower prevalence of obesity in a Southern Italian region with Mediterranean diet tradition independently from education and other socioeconomic factors.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Genetic and Environmental Epidemiology, Research Laboratories, Fondazione di Ricerca e Cura Giovanni Paolo II, Largo Gemelli 1, 86100 Campobasso, Italy.
authors.forename: Marialaura
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bonaccio
authors.forename: Augusto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Castelnuovo
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Costanzo
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Lucia
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olivieri
authors.forename: Maria Benedetta
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Donati
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: de Gaetano
authors.forename: Licia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Iacoviello
authors.forename: Americo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bonanni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires