Is there still a French eating model? A taxonomy of eating behaviors in adults living in the Paris metropolitan area in 2010.
BACKGROUND
Meal times in France still represent an important moment in everyday life. The model of three rigorously synchronized meals is still followed by a majority of people, while meal frequencies have flattened in other European or North-American countries. We aimed to examine the "French model" of eating behavior by identifying and characterizing distinct meal patterns.


METHODS
Analyses were based on data from the SIRS cohort, a representative survey of the adult population in the Paris area. A clustering algorithm was applied to meal variables (number, time, location, with whom the meal is usually shared and activities associated with meals). Regression models were used to investigate associations between patterns and socio-demographic, social environment and perceived food quality variables.


RESULTS
Five different patterns were identified among 2994 participants. The first three types (prevalence 33%, 17% and 24%) followed a three-meal pattern, with differences in locations and social interactions mainly related to time constraints and age. More marked differences were observed in the remaining two types. In the fourth type (prevalence 13%), individuals ate one or two meals per day, often with an irregular schedule, at home and in front of the television. They frequently were unemployed and had lower income. Breakfast skipping, increased snacking and a low adherence to dietary guidelines suggested that this behavior might have health consequences. In the fifth type (12%), people also ate two meals or less per day, possibly with the same consequences on food quality. However, meals were often taken outside the home, in social settings, and individuals following this pattern were typically active, integrated, young people, suggesting that this pattern might be an adaptation to a modern urban lifestyle.


CONCLUSIONS
While a majority of the population still follows the three-meal pattern, our analysis distinguished two other eating patterns associated with specific sociological profiles.
Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR_S 1136, Pierre Louis Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health, Department of social epidemiology, F-75013 Paris, France; INSERM, UMR_S 1136, Pierre Louis Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health, Department of social epidemiology, F-75013 Paris, France.
Julien
J
Riou
Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR_S 1136, Pierre Louis Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health, Department of social epidemiology, F-75013 Paris, France; INSERM, UMR_S 1136, Pierre Louis Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health, Department of social epidemiology, F-75013 Paris, France; AP-HP, Hôpital Jean-Verdier, Department of Forensic Medicine, F-93140 Bondy, France.
Thomas
T
Lefèvre
CNRS, UMR 8097, Centre Maurice Halbwachs, Research Team on Social Inequalities, F-75014 Paris, France.
Isabelle
I
Parizot
INRA, UR1303 ALISS, F-94205 Ivry sur Seine Cedex, France; University of Oxford, Department of Sociology, Manor Road, Oxford OX1 3UQ, United Kingdom.
Anne
A
Lhuissier
Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR_S 1136, Pierre Louis Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health, Department of social epidemiology, F-75013 Paris, France; INSERM, UMR_S 1136, Pierre Louis Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health, Department of social epidemiology, F-75013 Paris, France.
Pierre
P
Chauvin
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D063427:Food Quality; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D062407:Meals / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010297:Paris; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors