Nutrition behaviour and compliance with the Mediterranean diet pyramid recommendations: An Italian survey-based study

Bracale et al. (2020) conducted a 14-question survey based on the updated Mediterranean diet pyramid to determine the respondents’ eating behaviors and compliance to the Mediterranean-like dietary pattern since this habit may help prevent certain chronic diseases. While this cross-sectional study targeted subjects over the age of 19, the vast majority of participants (75.6%) were female, 20.7% were in the younger category, and 33.1% had a university degree. Sedentary lifestyle was prevalent in 37.8% of the sample population, including in 29.6% of those aged 20-29 years. Moreover, females and older people especially did not adhere to recommendations included in the Mediterranean diet pyramid. One of the highlights was the discrepancy identified between the responders’ perceived and actual behaviour toward their regular consumption of fruits and vegetables. The results emphasize the lack of adherence to the Mediterranean diet recommendations shown by Italian adults. [NPID: behavior, mediterranean diet, chronic disease]

Year: 2020

Reference: Bracale, R., Vaccaro, C. M., Coletta, V., Cricelli, C., Gamaleri, F. C., Parazzini, F., & Carruba, M. (2020). Nutrition behaviour and compliance with the Mediterranean diet pyramid recommendations: an Italian survey-based study. Eating and weight disorders : EWD, 25(6), 1789–1798. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-019-00807-4