title: [Dietary habits and social differences: the experience of EPIC-Italy].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to investigate the impact of socioeconomic status on dietary habits in Italy.
  
  
  METHODS
  large Italian multicentric prospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  more than 45,000 subjects recruited between 1993 and 1998 in five Italian centres (Turin, Varese, Florence, Naples, and Ragusa). Dietary habits, educational level, and other characteristics were collected at baseline using standardised questionnaires.
  
  
  METHODS
  dietary habits collected for the EPIC study, grouped by food type and summarised by a Mediterranean dietary index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  we observed differences in dietary habits and in lifestyle habits by tertile of educational level. Principally, we noticed a positive association between higher education and healthy dietary habits (reduction in intake of processed meat, bread and rice, sweet drinks; increase in intake of fruit and vegetables, yoghurt, fish, olive oil, and tea).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  a relationship between educational level and dietary habits is confirmed also in Italy, even if differences due to gender and residence area are present. This study shows an important role of dietary habits in health inequalities of the population with lower socioeconomic status.
authors.affiliation: Servizio sovrazonale di epidemiologia, ASL TO 3, Grugliasco (TO). fulvio.ricceri@gmail.com.|Unità di epidemiologia dei tumori, AOU Città della salute e della scienza, Università di Torino e Centro per la prevenzione oncologica (CPO), Torino.
authors.forename: Fulvio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ricceri
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di matematica "G. Peano", Università di Torino.
authors.forename: Maria Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Giraudo
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di medicina preventiva e predittiva, Unità di epidemiologia e prevenzione, Fondazione IRCSS - Istituto nazionale dei tumori, Milano.
authors.forename: Sabina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sieri
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di medicina preventiva e predittiva, Unità di epidemiologia e prevenzione, Fondazione IRCSS - Istituto nazionale dei tumori, Milano.
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pala
authors.affiliation: Struttura complessa di epidemiologia molecolare e nutrizionale, Istituto per lo studio e la prevenzione oncologica (ISPO), Firenze.
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Masala
authors.affiliation: Struttura complessa di epidemiologia molecolare e nutrizionale, Istituto per lo studio e la prevenzione oncologica (ISPO), Firenze.
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ermini
authors.affiliation: Registro dei tumori, Dipartimento di prevenzione medica, Azienda sanitaria provinciale (ASP) Ragusa.
authors.forename: Maria Concetta
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Giurdanella
authors.affiliation: Registro dei tumori, Dipartimento di prevenzione medica, Azienda sanitaria provinciale (ASP) Ragusa.
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martorana
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di medicina clinica e chirurgia, Università Federico II, Napoli.
authors.forename: Amalia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mattiello
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di salute mentale e fisica e medicina preventiva, Seconda Università di Napoli.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chiodini
authors.affiliation: Fondazione di genetica umana (HuGeF), Torino.|School of Public Health, Imperial College, Londra.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vineis
authors.affiliation: Unità di epidemiologia dei tumori, AOU Città della salute e della scienza, Università di Torino e Centro per la prevenzione oncologica (CPO), Torino.
authors.forename: Carlotta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sacerdote
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004034:Diet Surveys; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005062:European Union; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012923:Social Class; D012955:Societies, Medical; D014675:Vegetables