Table 1.
Distribution (%) of the population and mean percentage of energy from ultra-processed foods (% energy intake) according to socio-demographic characteristics and diet quality in Australian adults from the 2011–2012 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (n 8209)
| Characteristics | Distribution % | se | % energy intake from ultra-processed foods | se |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 51·7 | 0·4 | 39·7 | 0·5 |
| Female | 48·3 | 0·4 | 38·1 | 0·4 |
| Age (years) | ||||
| 19–30 | 19·9 | 0·5 | 44·7 | 0·9 |
| 31–50 | 39·2 | 0·4 | 39·2 | 0·5 |
| 51–70 | 29·9 | 0·3 | 35·1 | 0·6 |
| 71+ | 11·0 | 0·2 | 37·9 | 0·7 |
| Country of birth | ||||
| Australia | 69·3 | 0·8 | 41·0 | 0·4 |
| Main English-speaking country | 11·8 | 0·5 | 38·3 | 0·9 |
| Other | 19·0 | 0·7 | 31·7 | 0·8 |
| Area-level disadvantage* | ||||
| First quintile (greater disadvantage) | 18·7 | 1·0 | 41·6 | 0·8 |
| Second quintile | 20·5 | 1·0 | 39·7 | 0·7 |
| Third quintile | 20·8 | 1·0 | 39·9 | 0·8 |
| Fourth quintile | 18·9 | 1·1 | 38·1 | 0·9 |
| Fifth quintile (most advantage) | 21·0 | 1·0 | 35·7 | 0·7 |
| Education† | ||||
| Low | 25·6 | 0·6 | 40·6 | 0·7 |
| Medium | 48·9 | 0·8 | 40·2 | 0·4 |
| High | 25·5 | 0·7 | 34·9 | 0·6 |
| Household income‡ | ||||
| First quintile (20 % lowest income) | 18·8 | 0·5 | 37·6 | 0·6 |
| Second quintile | 17·8 | 0·6 | 41·5 | 0·8 |
| Third quintile | 20·0 | 0·6 | 40·1 | 0·8 |
| Fourth quintile | 21·8 | 0·6 | 40·2 | 0·8 |
| Fifth quintile (20 % highest income) | 21·5 | 0·7 | 35·6 | 0·7 |
| Rurality | ||||
| Major city of Australia | 70·4 | 0·7 | 38·1 | 0·4 |
| Inner regional Australia | 19·8 | 0·9 | 41·4 | 0·7 |
| Other | 9·8 | 0·8 | 40·1 | 1·1 |
| Diet quality (DGI) score§ | ||||
| Low (lowest diet quality) | 33·3 | 0·7 | 47·5 | 0·6 |
| Medium | 33·3 | 0·6 | 38·8 | 0·5 |
| High (highest diet quality) | 33·3 | 0·7 | 30·5 | 0·5 |
| BMI‖ | ||||
| Underweight and normal | 31·6 | 0·7 | 37·8 | 0·6 |
| Overweight | 33·4 | 0·7 | 37·8 | 0·6 |
| Obese | 23·9 | 0·6 | 42·0 | 0·7 |
| Physical activity¶ | ||||
| Met recommended guidelines | 50·2 | 0·7 | 37·2 | 0·4 |
| Did not meet recommended guidelines | 49·1 | 0·7 | 40·7 | 0·5 |
| Smoking | ||||
| Current smoker | 17·7 | 0·6 | 43·1 | 0·9 |
| Ex-smoker | 32·0 | 0·7 | 37·6 | 0·5 |
| Never smoked | 50·3 | 0·8 | 38·3 | 0·5 |
DGI, Australian Dietary Guideline Index.
Calculated using Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage – 2011 – quintiles – national.
Low (incomplete high school or less), medium (completed high school or incomplete high school and/or certificate/diploma) and high (tertiary qualification).
Combined income of all household members aged ≥ 15 years, divided into quintiles of the population.
DGI scores could range between 0 and 130, with a higher score indicating better diet quality – first tertile: low DGI 13 4–70 5 (mean 60 0), second tertile: medium DGI 70 5–83 9 (mean 77 2) and third tertile: high DGI 84 0–121 0 (mean 93 2).
Underweight and normal (BMI < 25 kg/m2), overweight (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 and <30 kg/m2), and obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2).
Recommended guideline of 150 min of physical activity in the last week; weighted percentages may not add up to 100 for BMI and physical activity due to missing values.