A Scientific Assessment of Sociodemographic Factors, Physical Activity Level, and Nutritional Knowledge as Determinants of Dietary Quality among Indo-Mauritian Women
A healthy diet is of particular concern throughout the life of women to avoid many chronic illnesses especially during their 30s to 50s. There are published data on dietary quality and its determinants among women, but there is a lack of similar data regarding women in Mauritius. This study aimed to investigate the association between age and dietary quality in relation to sociodemographic factors, physical activity level (PAL) and nutritional knowledge (NK). A survey-based study was conducted in 2012 among Indo-Mauritian women including 117 young ( ), 160 reaching middle age ( ) and 50 middle-aged ( ). Validated questionnaires were used to elicit information on the determinants. A food frequency table consisting of 18 food items was used to assess dietary quality. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine the association between various factors and dietary quality. The mean dietary score of middle-aged women ( ) was closer to recommended dietary guidelines compared to young women ( ), and women reaching middle age ( ). Educational level, PAL, NK, and age were main determinants of dietary quality among Indo-Mauritian women ( ). Younger women with low educational level, PAL, and NK are at risk of poor dietary quality. 1. Introduction Mauritius is a middle-income country with a per capita Gross Domestic Product of US$15,600 PPP in 2012 [1]. It is a multiethnic nation [2] which has experienced rapid economic growth since the 1980s, with amplification in disposable income followed by changes in food consumption and lifestyle patterns similar to the globally observed trend [3, 4]. This shift in nutrition habits has been illustrated by an increase in the consumption of meat, eggs, dairy products, oils, and fats which has led to the rapid increase in the occurrence of overweight, obesity, and associated noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular problems. Few studies have documented the Mauritian dietary quality [4], but there is a lack of published data on the dietary of women in relation to various determinants. Consuming a healthy diet and having access to a nutritious supply of food are important to good health, as good nutrition is a key factor in the overall health and wellbeing of women [5]. Ensuring proper nutrition among women has several optimistic outcomes because healthy women can fulfil their multiple roles, generating income, ensuring their families’ nutrition, and having healthier children, and thus help progress countries’ socioeconomic development [6]. A more comprehensive study of women’s dietary patterns
References
[1]
CIA World Fact Book, 2013, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mp.html.
[2]
S. Maurer, “Mauritius: interethnic relations through rice and rum,” Journal of Anthropology, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 501–509, 2012.
[3]
T. P. Appanah, B. Oogarah-Pratap, and A. Ruggoo, “Awareness and consumption of iron among Mauritian female factory workers,” Nutrition and Food Science, vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 168–175, 2009.
[4]
D. Seechurn, H. Neeliah, and S. A. Neeliah, “Functional foods in Mauritius: a consumer survey,” Journal of Development and Agricultural Economics, vol. 1, no. 9, pp. 204–211, 2009.
[5]
L. Donner, H. Isfeld, M. Haworth-Brockman, and C. Forsey, “A profile of Women's health in manitoba,” in Prairie Women’s Health, chapter 3, pp. 1–58, 2008.
[6]
E. I. Ransom and L. K. Elder, “Nutrition of Women and Adolescent Girls: Why It Matters,” Population Reference Bureau, 2003, http://www.prb.org/Articles/2003/NutritionofWomenandAdolescentGirlsWhyItMatters.aspx.
[7]
S. L. Leong, C. Madden, A. Gray, and C. Horwath, “Self-determined, autonomous regulation of eating behavior is related to lower body mass index in a nationwide survey of middle-aged women,” Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, vol. 112, no. 9, pp. 1337–1346, 2012.
[8]
R. W. Kimokoti, P. K. Newby, P. Gona et al., “Diet quality, physical activity, smoking status, and weight fluctuation are associated with weight change in women and men,” Journal of Nutrition, vol. 140, no. 7, pp. 1287–1293, 2010.
[9]
G. D. Mishra, S. A. McNaughton, K. Ball, W. J. Brown, G. G. Giles, and A. J. Dobson, “Major dietary patterns of young and middle aged women: results from a prospective Australian cohort study,” European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 64, no. 10, pp. 1125–1133, 2010.
[10]
H. Van Minh, N. Ng, S. Juvekar et al., “Self-reported prevalence of chronic diseases and their relation to selected sociodemographic variables: a study in INDEPTH Asian sites, 2005,” Preventing Chronic Disease, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 1–9, 2008.
[11]
P. Kuri-Morales, J. Emberson, J. Alegre-Díaz et al., “The prevalence of chronic diseases and major disease risk factors at different ages among 150 000 men and women living in Mexico City: cross-sectional analyses of a prospective study,” BMC Public Health, vol. 9, article 9, 2009.
[12]
S. A. Rizvi, F. Jalil, S. I. Azam, U. Shamsi, and S. Saleem, “Prevalence of menopause, chronic illnesses and life style of middle aged women in Karachi, Pakistan,” Al Ameen Journal of Medical Sciences, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 347–354, 2012.
[13]
M. L. McCullough, D. Feskanich, M. J. Stampfer et al., “Diet quality and major chronic disease risk in men and women: moving toward improved dietary guidance,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 76, no. 6, pp. 1261–1271, 2002.
[14]
S. V. Sharma, A. D. Gernand, and R. S. Day, “Nutrition knowledge predicts eating behavior of all food groups except fruits and vegetables among adults in the paso del norte region: qué sabrosa vida,” Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, vol. 40, no. 6, pp. 361–368, 2008.
[15]
N. Darmon and A. Drewnowski, “Does social class predict diet quality?” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 87, no. 5, pp. 1107–1117, 2008.
[16]
J. D. Irala-Estévez, M. Groth, L. Johansson, U. Oltersdorf, R. Pr？tt？l？, and M. A. Martínez-González, “A systematic review of socio-economic differences in food habits in Europe: consumption of fruit and vegetables,” European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 54, no. 9, pp. 706–714, 2000.
[17]
K. W. Dammann and C. Smith, “Factors affecting low-income Women's food choices and the perceived impact of dietary intake and socioeconomic status on their health and weight,” Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 242–253, 2009.
[18]
E. M. Power, “Determinants of healthy eating among low-income Canadians,” Canadian Journal of Public Health, vol. 96, no. 3, pp. S37–S42, 2005.
[19]
M. K. Rberg Kj？llesdal, G. Holmboe-Ottesen, and M. Wandel, “Associations between food patterns, socioeconomic position and working situation among adult, working women and men in Oslo,” European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 64, no. 10, pp. 1150–1157, 2010.
[20]
A. Dobson, G. Mishra, W. Brown, and R. Reynolds, “Food habits of young and middle-aged women living outside the capital cities of Australia,” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, vol. 21, no. 7, pp. 711–715, 1997.
[21]
T. O. Fawehinmi, J. Ilom？ki, S. Voutilainen, and J. Kauhanen, “Alcohol consumption and dietary patterns: the FinDrink study,” PLoS ONE, vol. 7, no. 6, pp. 1–8, 2012.
[22]
R. S. Pr？tt？l？, M. T. Laaksonen, and O. J. Rahkonen, “Smoking and unhealthy food habits: how stable is the association?” European Journal of Public Health, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 28–33, 1998.
[23]
L. E. Voorrips, W. A. Van Staveren, and J. G. A. J. Hautvast, “Are physically active elderly women in a better nutritional condition than their sedentary peers?” European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 45, no. 11, pp. 545–552, 1991.
[24]
S. Wilcox, A. C. King, C. Castro, and W. Bortz, “Do changes in physical activity lead to dietary changes in middle and old age?” American Journal of Preventive Medicine, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 276–283, 2000.
[25]
K. I. Baghurst, P. A. Baghurst, and S. J. Record, “Demographic and dietary profiles of high and low fat consumers in Australia,” Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 26–32, 1994.
[26]
A. Worsley, “Nutrition knowledge and food consumption: can nutrition knowledge change food behaviour?” Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. S579–S585, 2002.
[27]
K. Parmenter and J. Wardle, “Development of a general nutrition knowledge questionnaire for adults,” European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 53, no. 4, pp. 298–308, 1999.
[28]
J. Wardle, K. Parmenter, and J. Waller, “Nutrition knowledge and food intake,” Appetite, vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 269–275, 2000.
[29]
G. Turconi, M. Guarcello, L. Maccarini et al., “Eating habits and behaviors, physical activity, nutritional and food safety knowledge and beliefs in an adolescent Italian population,” Journal of the American College of Nutrition, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 31–43, 2008.
[30]
R. V. Krejcie and D. V. Morgan, “Determining sample size for research activities,” Educational and Psychological Measurement, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 607–610, 1970.
[31]
A. R. Turagabeci, K. Nakamura, M. Kizuki, and T. Takano, “Family structure and health, how companionship acts as a buffer against ill health,” Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, vol. 5, no. 61, pp. 1–6, 2007.
[32]
W. B. Fokeena and R. Jeewon, “Is there an association between socioeconomic status and body mass index among adolescents in mauritius?” Scientific World Journal, vol. 2012, Article ID 750659, 9 pages, 2012.
[33]
Ministry of Health, Quality of Life, and Mauritius Institute of HealthWorld Health Organisation, Dietary Guidelines for the Prevention of NCDs in Mauritius, Ministry of Health and Quality of Life, Mauritius, 2000, http://www.gov.mu/portal/goc/mih/file/nutri.pdf.
[34]
California Department of Public Health (CDPH), MyPlate For Moms: Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative, California Department of Public Health, State of California, 2012, http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/NutiritionandPhysicalActivity/Documents/MO-NUPA-MyPlateforMoms.pdf.
[35]
J. S. Al-Malki, M. H. Al-Jaser, and A. S. Warsy, “Overweight and obesity in Saudi females of childbearing age,” International Journal of Obesity, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 134–139, 2003.
[36]
A. J. Muhihi, M. A. Njelekela, R. Mpembeni, R. S. Mwiru, N. Mligiliche, and J. Mtabaji, “Obesity, overweight, and perceptions about body weight among middle-aged adults in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania,” ISRN Obesity, vol. 2012, pp. 1–6, 2012.
[37]
A. Vahratian, “Prevalence of overweight and obesity among women of childbearing age: results from the 2002 national survey of family growth,” Maternal and Child Health Journal, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 268–273, 2009.
[38]
D. B. Panagiotakos, C. Chrysohoou, G. Siasos et al., “Sociodemographic and lifestyle statistics of oldest old people (>80 years) living in ikaria island: the ikaria study,” Cardiology Research and Practice, vol. 1, Article ID 679187, 7 pages, 2011.
[39]
M. Hagstr？mer, P. Oja, and M. Sj？str？m, “The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ): a study of concurrent and construct validity,” Public Health Nutrition, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 755–762, 2006.
[40]
Statistics Mauritius, Tableau de Bord, Ministry of Finance & Economic Development, Mauritius, 2013, http://statsmauritius.gov.mu/English/Tableau de Bord/Pages/Tableau-de-Bord.aspx.
[41]
Ministry of Health and Quality of Life, The Mauritius Non Communicable Diseases Survey 2009, Baker IDI Hearts and Diabetes Institute, 2009, http://health.gov.mu/English/Documents/ncd-2009.pdf.
[42]
V. Koch and D. Pokorn, “Comparison of nutritional habits among various adult age groups in Slovenia,” Nutrition Research, vol. 19, no. 8, pp. 1153–1164, 1999.
[43]
T. Lallukka, M. Laaksonen, O. Rahkonen, E. Roos, and E. Lahelma, “Multiple socio-economic circumstances and healthy food habits,” European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 61, no. 6, pp. 701–710, 2007.
[44]
M. Yannakoulia, D. Panagiotakos, C. Pitsavos, Y. Skoumas, and C. Stafanadis, “Eating patterns may mediate the association between marital status, body mass index, and blood cholesterol levels in apparently healthy men and women from the ATTICA study,” Social Science and Medicine, vol. 66, no. 11, pp. 2230–2239, 2008.
[45]
L. Coleman, L. Cox, and D. Roker, “Girls and young women's participation in physical activity: psychological and social influences,” Health Education Research, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 633–647, 2008.
[46]
Z. Newton, L. Guo, H. Yang, and M. Malkin, “Physical activity and perception of body image of African American women,” LARNet the Cyber Journal of Applied Leisure and Recreation Research, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 1–12, 2012.
[47]
S. K. Mama, B. E. Quill, M. E. Fernandez-Esquer, J. Y. Reese-Smith, J. A. Banda, and R. E. Lee, “Body image and physical activity among Latina and African American women,” Ethnicity & Disease, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 281–287, 2011.
[48]
J. F. Owens, K. A. Matthews, R. R. Wing, and L. H. Kuller, “Can physical activity mitigate the effects of aging in middle-aged women?” Circulation, vol. 85, no. 4, pp. 1265–1270, 1992.
[49]
F. Midhet, A. R. Al Mohaimeed, and F. Sharaf, “Dietary practices, physical activity and health education in qassim region of Saudi Arabia,” International Journal of Health Sciences (Qassim), vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 3–10, 2010.
[50]
K. Parmenter, J. Waller, and J. Wardle, “Demographic variation in nutrition knowledge in England,” Health Education Research, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 163–174, 2000.
[51]
T. De Vriendt, C. Matthys, W. Verbeke, I. Pynaert, and S. De Henauw, “Determinants of nutrition knowledge in young and middle-aged Belgian women and the association with their dietary behaviour,” Appetite, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 788–792, 2009.
[52]
B. Herbeth, A. Samara, M. Stathopoulou, G. Siest, and S. Visvikis-Siest, “Alcohol consumption, beverage preference, and diet in middle-aged men from the STANISLAS study,” Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, vol. 2012, Article ID 987243, 6 pages, 2012.
[53]
A. M. Coulston, C. J. Boushey, and M. G. Ferruzzi, Nutrition in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease, Elsevier/Academic Press, San Diego, Calif, USA, 3rd edition, 2013.
[54]
W. Wrieden, H. Peace, J. Armstrong, and K. Barton, Report of the Working Group on Monitoring Scottish Dietary Targets: A Short Review of Dietary Assessment Methods Used in National and Scottish Research Studies, The Scottish Government, 2003, http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/01/20577/50687.
