title: Adherence to a Mediterranean-like dietary pattern in children from eight European countries. The IDEFICS study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite documented benefits of a Mediterranean-like dietary pattern, there is a lack of knowledge about how children from different European countries compare with each other in relation to the adherence to this pattern. In response to this need, we calculated the Mediterranean diet score (MDS) in 2-9-year-old children from the Identification and prevention of dietary- and lifestyle-induced health effects in children and infants (IDEFICS) eight-country study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using 24 h dietary recall data obtained during the IDEFICS study (n=7940), an MDS score was calculated based on the age- and sex-specific population median intakes of six food groups (vegetables and legumes, fruit and nuts, cereal grains and potatoes, meat products and dairy products) and the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fats. For fish and seafood, which was consumed by 10% of the population, one point was given to consumers. The percentages of children with high MDS levels (>3) were calculated and stratified by sex, age and by having at least one migrant parent or both native parents. Demographic (sex and age) and socioeconomic characteristics (parental education and income) of children showing high (>3) vs low (⩽3) MDS levels were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The highest prevalence of children with MDS>3 was found among the Italian pre-school boys (55.9%) and the lowest among the Spanish school-aged girls (26.0%). Higher adherence to a Mediterranean-like dietary pattern was not associated with living in a Mediterranean country or in a highly educated or high-income family, although with some exceptions. Differences in adherence between boys and girls or age groups varied between countries without any general pattern.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With the exception of Italian pre-schoolers, similar adherence levels to a Mediterranean-like dietary pattern have been observed among European children.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tognon
authors.affiliation: GENUD (Growth, Exercise, Nutrition and Development) research group, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.affiliation: GENUD (Growth, Exercise, Nutrition and Development) research group, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mouratidou
authors.affiliation: Department of Chronic Disease, National Institute for Health Development, Tallinn, Estonia.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Veidebaum
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Medical Faculty, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Molnár
authors.affiliation: Unit of Epidemiology and Population Genetics, Institute of Food Sciences, National Research Council, Avellino, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.affiliation: Unit of Epidemiology and Population Genetics, Institute of Food Sciences, National Research Council, Avellino, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Siani
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health/Department of Movement and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Akhandaf
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology and Prevention Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Krogh
authors.affiliation: Research and Education Institute of Child Health, Strovolos, Cyprus.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tornaritis
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology-BIPS, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Börnhorst
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology-BIPS, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hebestreit
authors.affiliation: 1] Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology-BIPS, Bremen, Germany [2] Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pigeot
authors.affiliation: Public Health Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lissner
mesh_terms: D001823:Body Composition; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D004522:Educational Status; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*