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. 2021 Nov 25;13(12):4235. doi: 10.3390/nu13124235

Table 1.

Operationalization of study variables and their categorization for statistical analyses.

Variables Measurement Original Values Categorization for Analyses
Socio-Demographic Characteristics
Sex

  1. Males

  2. Females

  1. Males

  2. Females
Age “How old are you?” (in full years) No categorization
Residence

  1. Urban

  2. Peri-urban

  3. Rural

  1. Peri-urban/rural

  2. Urban
Education “How many years have you spent in education?” No categorization
Diet items: “How often do you eat or drink any of the following foods or drinks, even in small quantities?” (for each diet item)
Vegetables, fruits, cold-pressed oils, linseed oil, bread, meat, processed meat products, oily fish, lean fish, olive oil, refined oils, Rice and pasta, cereals, potatoes, eggs, dairy, fermented dairy, nuts or seeds, fish oil supplements, probiotic supplements, omega 3 supplements.

  1. Seldom/never

  2. Several times a month

  3. Once a week

  4. Several times a week

  5. Every day

  6. Several times a day

  1. Seldom/never/several times a month

  2. Once a week

  3. Every day/several times a day
Sweetened drinks
(Total consumption indicated by the sum of all items)		 “How often do you eat or drink any of the following foods or drinks, even in small quantities?” (1) Juice, (2) tea with sugar, (3) coffee with sugar, (4) soft drinks:

  1. Seldom/never

  2. Several times a month

  3. Once a week

  4. Several times a week

  5. Every day

  6. Several times a day

  1. Sum of 7 or less

  2. Sum of 8–12

  3. Sum of 13 or more

  1. Lower consumption (sum of <10)

  2. Higher consumption (sum of ≥10)
Desserts with added sugar
(Total consumption indicated by the sum of all items)		 “How often do you eat or drink any of the following foods or drinks, even in small quantities?” (1) Biscuits, cakes, cream cakes, (2) sweet pies, buns, (3) candies, chocolate:

  1. Seldom/never

  2. Several times a month

  3. Once a week

  4. Several times a week

  5. Every day

  6. Several times a day

  1. Sum of ≤6

  2. Sum of 7–9

  3. Sum of ≥10

  1. Lower consumption (sum of <8)

  2. Higher consumption (sum of ≥8)
Carbohydrates
(Total consumption indicated by the sum of all items)		 “How often do you eat any of the following foods or drinks, even in small quantities?” (1) Potatoes, (2) cereal, (3) pasta or rice, (4) bread:

  1. Seldom/never

  2. Several times a month

  3. Once a week

  4. Several times a week

  5. Every day

  6. Several times a day

  1. Lower consumption (sum of <15)

  2. Higher consumption (sum of ≥15)
Proteins
(Total consumption indicated by the sum of all items)		 “How often do you eat any of the following foods or drinks, even in small quantities?” (1) Meat, (2) processed meat, (3) lean fish, (4) fat fish, (5) eggs, (6) nuts or seeds:

  1. Seldom/never

  2. Several times a month

  3. Once a week

  4. Several times a week

  5. Every day

  6. Several times a day

  1. Lower consumption (sum of <20)

  2. Higher consumption)sum of ≥20)
Dairy products
(Total consumption indicated by the sum of all items)		 “How often do you eat or drink any of the following foods or drinks, even in small quantities?” (1) Dairy, (2) fermented dairy products:

  1. Seldom/never

  2. Several times a month

  3. Once a week

  4. Several times a week

  5. Every day

  6. Several times a day

  1. Lower consumption (sum of <7)

  2. Higher consumption (sum of ≥7)
Different Oils
(Total consumption indicated by the sum of all items)		 “How often do you eat any of the following foods, even in small quantities?” (1) Linseed oil, (2) refined oils, (3) olive oil, (4) cold-pressed oil:

  1. Seldom/never

  2. Several times a month

  3. Once a week

  4. Several times a week

  5. Every day

  6. Several times a day

  1. Lower consumption (sum of <9)

  2. Higher consumption (sum of ≥9)
Vegetables and/or Fruits
(Total consumption indicated by the sum of all items)		 “How often do you eat any of the following foods, even in small quantities?” (1) Vegetables, (2) fruits:

  1. Seldom/never

  2. Several times a month

  3. Once a week

  4. Several times a week

  5. Every day

  6. Several times a day

  1. Lower consumption (sum of <9)

  2. Higher consumption (sum of ≥9)
Supplements
(Total consumption indicated by the sum of all items)		 “How often do you use any of the following supplements?” (1) Fish oil supplements, (2) probiotic supplements, (3) omega 3 supplements:

  1. Seldom/never

  2. Several times a month

  3. Once a week

  4. Several times a week

  5. Every day

  6. Several times a day

  1. Lower consumption (sum of <4)

  2. Higher consumption (sum of ≥4)