Table 3.
Age-standardized (Italian population) balanced nutrition food groups intake (EPIC questionnaire): vegetables, fruit, fish and cheese prevalence by sex, age classes, geographical area and educational level. Men and women residing in Italy aged 35–74 years, Health Examination Survey 2018–2019—CUORE Project.
| Men | Women | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vegetables | ||||||||||||
| N | n | % | CI 95% |
χ2
p-value |
N | n | % | CI 95% |
χ2
p-value |
|||
| All | 793 | 222 | 28.2 | 22.0 | 34.5 | 785 | 302 | 38.8 | 32.0 | 45.6 | ||
| Age classes (years) | ||||||||||||
| 35–44 | 196 | 51 | 26.0 | 13.8 | 38.3 | 0.4916 | 191 | 86 | 45.0 | 30.6 | 59.4 | 0.0301 |
| 45–54 | 204 | 61 | 29.9 | 18.4 | 41.4 | 216 | 90 | 41.7 | 29.5 | 53.8 | ||
| 55–64 | 219 | 67 | 30.6 | 18.3 | 42.9 | 214 | 74 | 34.6 | 21.9 | 47.3 | ||
| 65–74 | 174 | 43 | 24.7 | 10.3 | 39.2 | 164 | 52 | 31.7 | 16.2 | 47.3 | ||
| Italian Area | ||||||||||||
| North | 357 | 97 | 27.3 | 18.1 | 36.6 | 0.2484 | 359 | 140 | 39.4 | 29.3 | 49.5 | 0.2616 |
| Centre | 180 | 59 | 33.0 | 19.2 | 46.7 | 184 | 78 | 43.2 | 28.9 | 57.5 | ||
| South | 256 | 66 | 26.2 | 15.5 | 36.9 | 242 | 84 | 34.5 | 22.6 | 46.3 | ||
| Education | ||||||||||||
| Primary and middle school | 201 | 50 | 24.9 | 12.8 | 37.0 | 0.2883 | 209 | 68 | 32.6 | 19.8 | 45.4 | 0.0463 |
| High school and university | 591 | 172 | 29.4 | 22.1 | 36.7 | 575 | 234 | 41.0 | 33.1 | 49.0 | ||
| Fruit | ||||||||||||
| N | n | % | CI 95% |
χ2
p-value |
N | n | % | CI 95% |
χ2
p-value |
|||
| All | 793 | 394 | 49.7 | 42.8 | 56.7 | 785 | 411 | 52.3 | 45.4 | 59.3 | ||
| Age classes (years) | ||||||||||||
| 35–44 | 196 | 96 | 49.0 | 42.0 | 56.0 | 0.6598 | 191 | 98 | 51.3 | 44.2 | 58.4 | 0.9483 |
| 45–54 | 204 | 106 | 52.0 | 45.1 | 58.8 | 216 | 111 | 51.4 | 44.7 | 58.1 | ||
| 55–64 | 219 | 102 | 46.6 | 40.0 | 53.2 | 214 | 115 | 53.7 | 47.1 | 60.4 | ||
| 65–74 | 174 | 90 | 51.7 | 44.3 | 59.2 | 164 | 87 | 53.1 | 45.4 | 60.7 | ||
| Italian Area | ||||||||||||
| North | 357 | 179 | 50.0 | 39.6 | 60.3 | 0.2694 | 359 | 196 | 55.3 | 45.1 | 65.6 | 0.4259 |
| Centre | 180 | 97 | 53.5 | 38.9 | 68.1 | 184 | 96 | 51.7 | 37.3 | 66.2 | ||
| South | 256 | 118 | 46.7 | 34.5 | 58.9 | 242 | 119 | 48.3 | 35.8 | 60.8 | ||
| Education | ||||||||||||
| Primary and middle school | 201 | 104 | 51.4 | 37.4 | 65.4 | 0.5390 | 209 | 111 | 53.1 | 39.5 | 66.8 | 0.8798 |
| High school and university | 591 | 289 | 49.1 | 41.1 | 57.1 | 575 | 300 | 52.1 | 44.0 | 60.2 | ||
| Vegetable and Fruit | ||||||||||||
| N | n | % | CI 95% |
χ2
p-value |
N | n | % | CI 95% |
χ2
p-value |
|||
| All | 793 | 104 | 13.5 | 8.7 | 18.2 | 785 | 154 | 19.9 | 14.3 | 25.5 | ||
| Age classes (years) | ||||||||||||
| 35–44 | 196 | 26 | 13.3 | 3.8 | 22.7 | 0.2520 | 191 | 39 | 20.4 | 8.8 | 32.1 | 0.3179 |
| 45–54 | 204 | 34 | 16.7 | 7.3 | 26.0 | 216 | 50 | 23.2 | 12.7 | 33.6 | ||
| 55–64 | 219 | 27 | 12.3 | 3.6 | 21.1 | 214 | 39 | 18.2 | 7.9 | 28.5 | ||
| 65–74 | 174 | 17 | 9.8 | 0.0 | 19.7 | 164 | 26 | 15.9 | 3.7 | 28.1 | ||
| Italian Area | ||||||||||||
| North | 357 | 50 | 14.1 | 6.9 | 21.4 | 0.0678 | 359 | 82 | 23.4 | 14.7 | 32.1 | 0.1014 |
| Centre | 180 | 30 | 17.0 | 6.0 | 28.0 | 184 | 33 | 18.4 | 7.2 | 29.6 | ||
| South | 256 | 24 | 10.0 | 2.7 | 17.4 | 242 | 39 | 15.9 | 6.8 | 25.0 | ||
| Education | ||||||||||||
| Primary and middle school | 201 | 22 | 10.9 | 2.2 | 19.7 | 0.3465 | 209 | 35 | 17.0 | 6.8 | 27.3 | 0.2589 |
| High school and university | 591 | 82 | 14.3 | 8.7 | 19.9 | 575 | 119 | 20.9 | 14.3 | 27.5 | ||
| Fish | ||||||||||||
| N | n | % | CI 95% |
χ2
p-value |
N | n | % | CI 95% |
χ2
p-value |
|||
| All | 793 | 350 | 44.4 | 37.5 | 51.3 | 785 | 319 | 40.4 | 33.6 | 47.3 | ||
| Age classes (years) | ||||||||||||
| 35–44 | 196 | 93 | 47.5 | 40.5 | 54.4 | 0.4272 | 191 | 77 | 40.3 | 33.4 | 47.3 | 0.6847 |
| 45–54 | 204 | 90 | 44.1 | 37.3 | 50.9 | 216 | 81 | 37.5 | 31.0 | 44.0 | ||
| 55–64 | 219 | 99 | 45.2 | 38.6 | 51.8 | 214 | 91 | 42.5 | 35.9 | 49.2 | ||
| 65–74 | 174 | 68 | 39.1 | 31.8 | 46.3 | 164 | 70 | 42.7 | 35.1 | 50.3 | ||
| Italian Area | ||||||||||||
| North | 357 | 165 | 46.9 | 36.5 | 57.2 | 0.5635 | 359 | 144 | 39.5 | 29.5 | 49.6 | 0.8432 |
| Centre | 180 | 76 | 41.7 | 27.3 | 56.2 | 184 | 73 | 39.7 | 25.5 | 53.8 | ||
| South | 256 | 109 | 42.8 | 30.7 | 54.8 | 242 | 102 | 42.3 | 30.0 | 54.7 | ||
| Education | ||||||||||||
| Primary and middle school | 201 | 79 | 40.4 | 26.6 | 54.1 | 0.1252 | 209 | 84 | 39.6 | 26.2 | 53.0 | 0.9293 |
| High school and university | 591 | 271 | 45.8 | 37.8 | 53.8 | 575 | 235 | 40.8 | 32.8 | 48.8 | ||
| Cheese | ||||||||||||
| N | n | % | CI 95% |
χ2
p-value |
N | n | % | CI 95% |
χ2
p-value |
|||
| All | 793 | 355 | 44.6 | 37.7 | 51.5 | 785 | 421 | 53.7 | 46.8 | 60.6 | ||
| Age classes (years) | ||||||||||||
| 35–44 | 196 | 90 | 45.9 | 38.9 | 52.9 | 0.7559 | 191 | 96 | 50.3 | 43.2 | 57.4 | 0.7558 |
| 45–54 | 204 | 85 | 41.7 | 34.9 | 48.4 | 216 | 119 | 55.1 | 48.5 | 61.7 | ||
| 55–64 | 219 | 102 | 46.6 | 40.0 | 53.2 | 214 | 116 | 54.2 | 47.5 | 60.9 | ||
| 65–74 | 174 | 78 | 44.8 | 37.4 | 52.2 | 164 | 90 | 54.9 | 47.3 | 62.5 | ||
| Italian Area | ||||||||||||
| North | 357 | 149 | 41.6 | 31.4 | 51.8 | 0.2765 | 359 | 189 | 52.8 | 42.5 | 63.1 | 0.6255 |
| Centre | 180 | 83 | 45.6 | 31.0 | 60.2 | 184 | 96 | 52.1 | 37.7 | 66.5 | ||
| South | 256 | 123 | 48.2 | 36.0 | 60.4 | 242 | 136 | 56.3 | 43.9 | 68.6 | ||
| Education | ||||||||||||
| Primary and middle school | 201 | 87 | 43.3 | 29.4 | 57.1 | 0.7006 | 209 | 123 | 58.8 | 45.4 | 72.3 | 0.0962 |
| High school and university | 591 | 267 | 44.9 | 37.0 | 52.9 | 575 | 298 | 52.0 | 43.9 | 60.1 | ||
N: number of participants denominator. n: number of participants related to the prevalence numerator. For vegetables intake, the following foods were considered: leafy vegetables—cooked, leafy vegetables—raw, other vegetables, tomatoes—raw, tomatoes—cooked, root vegetables, cabbages, mushrooms, grain and pod vegetables, onion, garlic, stalk vegetables, mixed salad, mixed vegetables. For vegetables intake, the following foods were considered: leafy vegetable—cooked, leafy vegetable—raw, other vegetables, tomatoes—raw, tomatoes—cooked, root vegetables, cabbages, mushrooms, grain and pod vegetables, onion, garlic, stalk vegetables, mixed salad, mixed vegetables. For fruits intake, the following foods were considered: citrus fruits and other fruits. For fish intake, the following foods were considered: fish, crustaceans and molluscs. For cheese intake, the following foods were considered: cheeses (including fresh cheeses). Dietary information was collected by the self-administered Italian version of the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC). A balanced nutrition was defined based on the following intake: vegetables ≥ 200 g/day; fruit 150–375 g/day; fish at least twice per week (150 g per serving); cheese no more than three times per week (50–100 g per serving); sausages, salami and other preserved meat no more than once per week (50 g per serving); cake and desserts no more than once per week (100 g per serving); sugar beverages less than one per week (330 mL); and consumption of alcoholic beverages limited to two glasses per day for men (24 g of ethanol), one glass per day for women (12 g of ethanol) and one glass per day for men and women aged 65–74 (12 g of ethanol). SD: standard deviation; CI: confidence interval. Prevalence was age-standardized by the Italian National Institute of Statistics—ISTAT Italian population 2019 (except when it is reported by age-classes). Chi-square test to compare prevalence among classes. The pool was made of the following Italian regions: Piedmont, Lombardy, Liguria, Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, Lazio, Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily. Italian Area: North (Piedmont, Lombardy, Liguria, Emilia Romagna); Centre (Tuscany, Lazio); South (Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily).