title: Adherence to dietary guidelines for fruit, vegetables and fish among older Dutch adults; the role of education, income and job prestige.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Little is known about socio-economic differences in dietary intake among older adults. In this study we describe self-reported dietary adherence to the fruit, vegetables and fish guidelines among older Dutch adults and investigate the independent associations of three socio-economic status (SES) indicators with adherence to these guidelines.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross sectional data-analyses.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA), the Netherlands.
  
  
  METHODS
  1057 community dwelling older adults, aged 55-85 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fruit, vegetable and fish intake was assessed using a short food frequency questionnaire. We measured SES using self-reported levels of education, household income and occupational prestige.
  
  
  RESULTS
  82.5% of the respondents reported to adhere to the fruit guideline, 65.1% to the vegetables guideline, and 31.7% to the fish guideline. After adjustment for confounders and the other two SES indicators, respondents in the lowest education group adhered less often to the vegetables guideline (OR 0.39 (95% CI 0.22-0.70)) compared to those in the highest education group. Respondents in the lowest income group adhered less often to the fruit (0.44 (95 % CI 0.22-0.91) and fish guideline (OR 0.55 (95% CI 0.33-0.91) compared to those in the highest groups. Occupational prestige was not independently associated with adherence any the guidelines.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Self-reported adherence to the fruit, vegetables and fish guidelines among older adults can be improved and particularly in those with a low SES. Education and income have independent and unique contributions to dietary adherence. Future research should investigate potential pathways through which these specific SES indicators influence dietary adherence.
authors: S. Coosje Dijkstra, VU University Amsterdam, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Department of Health Sciences, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Tel: +31 (0)20 5986128, Fax: +31 (0)20 5986940, E-mail address: coosje.dijkstra@vu.nl.
authors: S C
authors: SC
authors: Dijkstra
authors: J E
authors: JE
authors: Neter
authors: I A
authors: IA
authors: Brouwer
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Huisman
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Visser
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014675:Vegetables; D044465:White People