Table 2.
Baseline characteristics of participants from Moli-sani Study cohort (n=22 895) across quarters of ultra-processed food intake (weight ratio). Values are numbers (percentages) unless stated otherwise
| Characteristics | Quarters of ultra-processed food intake | P value* | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (n=5723) | 2 (n=5724) | 3 (n=5724) | 4 (n=5724) | ||
| Mean (IQR) FSAm-NPS dietary index | 6.7 (6.0 to 7.8) | 7.3 (6.7 to 8.2) | 7.7 (7.1 to 8.5) | 8.0 (7.3 to 8.8) | - |
| Mean (IQR) ultra-processed food intake, weight ratio | 4.1 (3.2 to 5.3) | 7.7 (6.8 to 8.5) | 11.5 (10.3 to 12.6) | 19.9 (15.6 to 22.0) | - |
| Mean (SD) age, years | 61.5 (10.7) | 56.9 (11.3) | 53.2 (10.9) | 50.1 (10.8) | <0.001 |
| Male sex | 3347 (58.5) | 2798 (48.9) | 2488 (43.5) | 2289 (40.0) | <0.001 |
| Educational level: | <0.001 | ||||
| Up to lower secondary | 3664 (64.0) | 3141 (54.9) | 2706 (47.3) | 2441(42.6) | |
| Upper secondary | 1529 (26.7) | 1845 (32.2) | 2212 (38.6) | 2389 (41.7) | |
| Postsecondary | 527 (9.2) | 727 (12.7) | 805 (14.1) | 890 (15.5) | |
| Missing data | 3 (0.1) | 11 (0.2) | 1 (<0.1) | 4 (0.1) | |
| Housing: | 0.04 | ||||
| Rent | 411 (7.2) | 460 (8.0) | 519 (9.1) | 620 (10.8) | |
| 1 dwelling ownership | 4790 (83.7) | 4731 (82.7) | 4678 (81.7) | 4618 (80.7) | |
| >1 dwelling ownership | 510 (8.9) | 518 (9.0) | 517 (9.0) | 481 (8.4) | |
| Missing data | 12 (0.2) | 15 (0.3) | 10 (0.2) | 5 (0.1) | |
| Urban residence | 3722 (65.0) | 3787 (66.2) | 3918 (68.4) | 3953 (69.1) | <0.001 |
| Smoking status: | 0.003 | ||||
| Non-smoker | 2583 (45.1) | 2842 (49.7) | 2912 (50.9) | 3020 (52.8) | |
| Current smoker | 1198 (20.9) | 1240 (21.7) | 1338 (23.4) | 1483 (25.9) | |
| Former smoker | 1938 (33.9) | 1638 (28.6) | 1470 (25.7) | 1217 (21.3) | |
| Missing data | 4 (0.1) | 4 (0.1) | 4 (0.1) | 4 (0.1) | |
| Mean (SD) leisure time physical activity, MET-h/day† | 3.8 (4.5) | 3.6 (4.0) | 3.5 (3.6) | 3.4 (3.8) | <0.001 |
| Mean (SD) body mass index† | 28.2 (4.6) | 28.2 (4.7) | 27.9 (4.7) | 27.6 (4.9) | <0.001 |
| Cardiovascular disease: | 0.3 | ||||
| No | 5145 (89.9) | 5316 (92.9) | 5429 (94.8) | 5457 (95.3) | |
| Yes | 463 (8.1) | 322 (5.6) | 210 (3.7) | 192 (3.4) | |
| Missing data | 115 (2.0) | 86 (1.5) | 85 (1.5) | 75 (1.3) | |
| Cancer: | 0.3 | ||||
| No | 5455 (95.3) | 5508 (96.2) | 5513 (96.3) | 5541 (96.8) | |
| Yes | 239 (4.2) | 190 (3.3) | 201 (3.5) | 164 (2.9) | |
| Missing data | 29 (0.5) | 26 (0.5) | 10 (0.2) | 19 (0.3) | |
| Diabetes: | <0.001 | ||||
| No | 5119 (89.4) | 5351 (93.5) | 5485 (95.8) | 5562 (97.2) | |
| Yes | 516 (9.0) | 308 (5.4) | 170 (3.0) | 101 (1.8) | |
| Missing data | 88 (1.5) | 65 (1.1) | 69 (1.2) | 61 (1.1) | |
| Hypertension: | 0.08 | ||||
| No | 3458 (60.4) | 3896 (68.1) | 4286 (74.9) | 4620 (80.7) | |
| Yes | 2208 (38.6) | 1794 (31.3) | 1405 (24.5) | 1067 (18.6) | |
| Missing data | 57 (1.0) | 34 (0.6) | 33 (0.6) | 37 (0.7) | |
| Hyperlipidaemia: | <0.001 | ||||
| No | 4970 (86.8) | 5163 (90.2) | 5369 (93.8) | 5427 (94.8) | |
| Yes | 683 (11.9) | 497 (8.7) | 317 (5.5) | 262 (4.6) | |
| Missing data | 70 (1.2) | 64 (1.1) | 38 (0.7) | 35 (0.6) | |
FSAm-NPS=Food Standards Agency nutrient profiling system; IQR=interquartile range; SD=standard deviation
Means were adjusted for age, sex, and energy intake.
*
Obtained using generalised linear models for both continuous and categorical dependent variables adjusted for age, sex, and energy intake.
†
Data for leisure time physical activity and body mass index were missing for 197 and 13 participants, respectively.