title: Profile of European adults interested in internet-based personalised nutrition: the Food4Me study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Personalised interventions may have greater potential for reducing the global burden of non-communicable diseases and for promoting better health and well-being across the lifespan than the conventional "one size fits all" approach. However, the characteristics of individuals interested in personalised nutrition (PN) are unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of European adults interested in taking part in an internet-based PN study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Individuals from seven European countries (UK, Ireland, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Greece and Poland) were invited to participate in the study via the Food4Me website ( http://www.food4me.org ). Two screening questionnaires were used to collect data on socio-demographic, anthropometric and health-related characteristics as well as dietary intakes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 5662 individuals expressed an interest in the study (mean age 40 ± 12.7; range 15-87 years). Of these, 65 % were female and 97 % were Caucasian. Overall, 13 % were smokers and 47 % reported the presence of a clinically diagnosed disease. Furthermore, 47 % were overweight or obese and 35 % were sedentary during leisure time. Assessment of dietary intakes showed that 54 % of individuals reported consuming at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day, 46 % consumed more than 3 servings of wholegrains and 37 % limited their salt intake to <5.75 g per day.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data indicate that individuals volunteering to participate in an internet-based PN study are broadly representative of the European adult population, most of whom had adequate nutrient intakes but could benefit from improved dietary choices and greater physical activity. Future use of internet-based PN approaches is thus relevant to a wide target audience.
authors.affiliation: Human Nutrition Research Centre, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, Biomedical Research Building, Campus for Ageing and Vitality, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5PL, UK.
authors.forename: Katherine M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Livingstone
authors.affiliation: Human Nutrition Research Centre, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, Biomedical Research Building, Campus for Ageing and Vitality, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5PL, UK.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Celis-Morales
authors.affiliation: Center for Nutrition Research, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.|CIBER Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Santiago
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Navas-Carretero
authors.affiliation: Center for Nutrition Research, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.|CIBER Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: San-Cristobal
authors.affiliation: UCD Institute of Food and Health, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Republic of Ireland.
authors.forename: Clare B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: O'Donovan
authors.affiliation: UCD Institute of Food and Health, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Republic of Ireland.
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Forster
authors.affiliation: UCD Institute of Food and Health, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Republic of Ireland.
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Woolhead
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Biology, NUTRIM School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Cyril F M
authors.initials: CFM
authors.lastname: Marsaux
authors.affiliation: Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition and Institute for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research, University of Reading, Reading, UK.
authors.forename: Anna L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Macready
authors.affiliation: Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition and Institute for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research, University of Reading, Reading, UK.
authors.forename: Rosalind
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fallaize
authors.affiliation: ZIEL Research Center of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Biochemistry Unit, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kolossa
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tsirigoti
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Christina P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Lambrinou
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Moschonis
authors.affiliation: National Food and Nutrition Institute, (IZZ), Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Godlewska
authors.affiliation: National Food and Nutrition Institute, (IZZ), Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Surwiłło
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Christian A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Drevon
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Yannis
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Manios
authors.affiliation: National Food and Nutrition Institute, (IZZ), Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Iwona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Traczyk
authors.affiliation: UCD Institute of Food and Health, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Republic of Ireland.
authors.forename: Eileen R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Gibney
authors.affiliation: UCD Institute of Food and Health, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Republic of Ireland.
authors.forename: Lorraine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brennan
authors.affiliation: UCD Institute of Food and Health, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Republic of Ireland.
authors.forename: Marianne C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.affiliation: Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition and Institute for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research, University of Reading, Reading, UK.
authors.forename: Julie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lovegrove
authors.affiliation: Center for Nutrition Research, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.|CIBER Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alfredo Martinez
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Biology, NUTRIM School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Wim H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Saris
authors.affiliation: ZIEL Research Center of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Biochemistry Unit, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Hannelore
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Daniel
authors.affiliation: UCD Institute of Food and Health, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Republic of Ireland.
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gibney
authors.affiliation: Human Nutrition Research Centre, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, Biomedical Research Building, Campus for Ageing and Vitality, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5PL, UK. john.mathers@newcastle.ac.uk.
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Mathers
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D004032:Diet; D002149:Energy Intake; D005060:Europe; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014675:Vegetables; D044465:White People; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: European profile; Internet-based; Personalised nutrition; Randomised controlled trial; Tailored intervention