Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jun 7;15(12):2663.
doi: 10.3390/nu15122663.

Habitual Dietary Patterns, Nutrient Intakes, and Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet among New Zealand Adults: The NZ MED Cross-Sectional Study

Amy L Lovell  1   2 , Rajshri Roy  1   2 , Alana Klein  1 , Alana Cavadino  1 , Meika Foster  2   3 , Jeremy D Krebs  2   4 , Andrea Braakhuis  1   2 , Troy L Merry  1   2
Affiliations

Habitual Dietary Patterns, Nutrient Intakes, and Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet among New Zealand Adults: The NZ MED Cross-Sectional Study

Amy L Lovell et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

There is increasing evidence that adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern reduces the incidence of diet-related diseases. To date, the habitual dietary intake of New Zealand (NZ) adults has not been examined in relation to its alignment with a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern. This study aimed to define the habitual dietary patterns, nutrient intakes, and adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in a sample of 1012 NZ adults (86% female, mean age 48 ± 16 years) who had their diabetes risk defined by the Australian Type 2 Diabetes Risk Assessment Tool (AUSDRISK). Dietary intakes were collected using a validated semi-quantitative NZ food frequency questionnaire, and dietary patterns were identified using principal component analysis. Reported intakes from the FFQ were used in conjunction with the Mediterranean-Style Dietary Pattern Score (MSDPS) to determine adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern. Mixed linear models were used to analyze the association between dietary patterns and MSDPS with demographics, health factors, and nutrient intakes. Two distinct dietary patterns were identified: Discretionary (positive loadings on processed meat, meat/poultry, fast food, sweet drinks, and sugar, sweets, and baked good) and Guideline (positive loadings on vegetables, eggs/beans, and fruits). Adherence to dietary patterns and diet quality was associated with age and ethnicity. Dietary patterns were also associated with sex. Adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern defined by the MSDPS was low, indicating that a significant shift in food choices will be required if the Mediterranean Diet is to be adopted in the NZ population.

Keywords: Mediterranean Diet; New Zealand; cardiovascular disease; diabetes; diet quality’ nutrition’ food frequency questionnaire; dietary patterns; obesity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of the data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study participant flow from Expression of Interest to the final Analytical Sample of 908 participants who completed AUSDRISK, Demographics, and Food Frequency Questionnaires.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Scree plot for the identification of dietary patterns by principal component analysis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Davis C., Bryan J., Hodgson J., Murphy K. Definition of the Mediterranean diet: A literature review. Nutrients. 2015;7:9139–9153. doi: 10.3390/nu7115459. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Willett W.C. The Mediterranean diet: Science and practice. Public Health Nutr. 2006;9:105–110. doi: 10.1079/PHN2005931. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Georgoulis M., Kontogianni M.D., Yiannakouris N. Mediterranean diet and diabetes: Prevention and treatment. Nutrients. 2014;6:1406–1423. doi: 10.3390/nu6041406. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Martínez-González M.A., Salas-Salvadó J., Estruch R., Corella D., Fitó M., Ros E., Predimed Investigators Benefits of the Mediterranean diet: Insights from the PREDIMED study. Prog. Cardiovasc. Dis. 2015;58:50–60. doi: 10.1016/j.pcad.2015.04.003. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Sofi F., Macchi C., Abbate R., Gensini G.F., Casini A. Mediterranean diet and health status: An updated meta-analysis and a proposal for a literature-based adherence score. Public Health Nutr. 2014;17:2769–2782. doi: 10.1017/S1368980013003169. - DOI - PMC - PubMed