Health Study on the Environment, Biomonitoring, Physical Activity, and Nutrition (Esteban 2014–2016): Chapter on Food Consumption: Nutrition Section. Chapter on Food Consumption

The Study on Environmental Health, Biomonitoring, Physical Activity, and Nutrition (Esteban 2014–2016) included a nutrition component that served as a repeat of the National Nutrition and Health Survey (ENNS) conducted in 2006–2007, thereby providing reliable data on changes in the nutritional situation in France. These two studies are part of the evaluation of the National Nutrition and Health Program (PNNS), established in 2001 by the Ministry of Health and renewed every five years with the aim of improving public health through nutrition. This report presents the dietary consumption patterns observed in the Esteban study as well as their trends over a ten-year period since the ENNS, by sex, age group, and educational level. A specific analysis of the psychosocial determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption was also conducted. Following a random selection process based on a three-stage sampling design, a sample of children aged 6 to 17 and adults aged 18 to 74 residing in mainland France was included in the Esteban study between April 2014 and March 2016 to account for the seasonality of diet and potential exposures. Data collection on dietary intake, supervised by dietitians, consisted of three 24-hour recalls spread over a 15-day period, conducted by telephone or online. For children aged 6–10, the recalls were replaced by food diaries. The information collected was intended to assess participants’ diets against the PNNS benchmarks and target indicators. The analyses focused on a representative national sample of 2,834 adults and 1,279 children. They were weighted according to the sampling plan and adjusted for several sociodemographic characteristics. Overall, no major changes in food consumption were observed in France between 2006 and 2015, among both children and adults. The results showed that certain foods and nutrients remained public health concerns, notably the excessively high proportion of saturated fatty acids in the diet (only 17% of adults had saturated fatty acid intakes below 36% of total fat intake, and 16% of children below 37%); low consumption of fish and seafood (only a quarter consumed them twice a week, with a sharp decline in this proportion among children over the past ten years); as well as low fiber intake. Only 13% of adults and 2% of children consumed at least 25 g per day, which is one of the consequences of insufficient consumption of fruits and vegetables (42% of adults and 23% of children consumed at least 5 servings per day) and whole grain products and legumes (60% of adults and 71% of children had not consumed any during the three-day dietary survey). Excessive salt intake has increased over the past ten years (only 22% of adults and 40% of children consumed less than 6 g per day in 2015). Finally, consumption of sugary drinks among children remained high (more than one-third consumed more than the recommended half-glass per day). Generally speaking, those with higher levels of education reported diets more in line with recommendations, even though social inequalities appeared to have narrowed over the past ten years. However, this was likely due to a decline in dietary intake among those with the highest levels of education between 2006 and 2015. These results highlighted insufficient adherence to dietary recommendations among adults and children living in metropolitan France in 2015 as well as in 2006. From a public health perspective, this situation underscores the need to strengthen intervention strategies to promote healthy eating among the general population. Furthermore, the findings from the study on the psychosocial determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption highlighted the need to create environments that facilitate health-promoting choices.

Publishing year: 2018

Pages: 193 p.

Collection: Nutrition

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