Table 2.
Participants’ demographic characteristics and prevalence of compliance with 14 Mediterranean Diet Serving Score (MDSS) components and overall good Mediterranean diet adherence (MDSS≥14 points), according to the age group
| Age groups |
Overall P (post-hoc test P values) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-34.9 years (N = 372) | 35-64.9 years (N = 1617) | 65 and more (N = 779) | ||
| Sex; n (%) |
0.016 (0.086*;0.772†; 0.007‡) |
|||
| men |
149 (40.1) |
571 (35.3) |
319 (40.9) |
|
| women |
223 (59.9) |
1046 (64.7) |
460 (59.1) |
|
| Years of schooling; median (interquartile range, IQR) |
12.0 (11.0-15.0) |
12.0 (11.0-13.0) |
11.0 (6.0-12.0) |
<0.001 (<0.001*; <0.001†; <0.001‡) |
| Smoking; n (%) |
<0.001 (<0.001*; <0.001†; <0.001‡) |
|||
| current smokers |
163 (45.4) |
478 (32.4) |
64 (9.2) |
|
| never-smokers and ex-smokers |
209 (54.6) |
1139 (67.6) |
715 (90.8) |
|
| Physical activity; n (%) |
<0.001 (0.130*; <0.001†; <0.001‡) |
|||
| light |
85 (23.3) |
284 (18.7) |
256 (36.1) |
|
| moderate |
252 (69.0) |
1102 (72.5) |
412 (58.0) |
|
| intensive |
28 (7.7) |
133 (8.8) |
42 (5.9) |
|
| MDSS; median (IQR) |
9.0 (7.0-11.0) |
11.0 (8.0-13.0) |
12.0 (9.0-14.0) |
<0.001 (<0.001*; <0.001†; <0.001‡) |
| MDSS components; n (%) |
||||
| fruit consumption |
132 (35.5) |
863 (53.4) |
490 (62.9) |
<0.001 (<0.001*; <0.001†; <0.001‡) |
| vegetables |
95 (25.5) |
471 (29.1) |
298 (38.3) |
<0.001 (0.166*; <0.001†; <0.001‡) |
| cereals |
316 (84.9) |
1403 (86.8) |
676 (86.8) |
0.632 (0.356*; 0.400†; 0.993‡) |
| potatoes |
314 (84.4) |
1195 (73.9) |
516 (66.2) |
<0.001 (<0.001*; <0.001†; <0.001‡) |
| olive oil |
193 (51.9) |
1082 (66.9) |
632 (81.1) |
<0.001 (<0.001*; <0.001†; <0.001‡) |
| nuts |
19 (5.1) |
88 (5.4) |
46 (5.9) |
0.835 (0.796*; 0.584†; 0.644‡) |
| dairy products |
78 (21.0) |
308 (19.0) |
143 (18.4) |
0.571 (0.398*; 0.293†; 0.685‡) |
| legumes |
80 (21.5) |
320 (19.8) |
212 (27.2) |
<0.001 (0.473*; 0.037†; <0.001‡) |
| eggs |
115 (30.9) |
416 (25.7) |
145 (18.6) |
<0.001(0.041*; <0.001†; <0.001‡) |
| fish |
185 (49.7) |
978 (60.5) |
536 (68.8) |
<0.001 (<0.001*; <0.001†; <0.001‡) |
| white meat |
150 (40.3) |
618 (38.2) |
311 (39.9) |
0.617 (0.452*; 0.897†; 0.423‡) |
| red meat |
93 (25.0) |
493 (30.5) |
290 (37.2) |
<0.001 (0.037*; <0.001†; 0.001‡) |
| sweets |
74 (19.9) |
493 (30.5) |
299 (38.4) |
<0.001 (<0.001*; <0.001†; <0.001‡) |
| wine |
45 (12.1) |
327 (20.2) |
204 (26.2) |
<0.001 (<0.001*; <0.001†; 0.001‡) |
| MDSS≥14 points; n (%) | 46 (12.4) | 324 (20.0) | 265 (34.0) | <0.001 (0.001*; <0.001†; <0.001‡) |
*Post-hoc test P values: 18-34.9 years vs 35–64.9 years.
†Post-hoc test P values: 18-35 years vs ≥65 years.
‡Post-hoc test P values: 34.9-64.9 years vs ≥65 years.