07/08. tbl. 102. árg. 2016
Attitudes to food and eating in an Icelandic cohort
Hamlandi viðhorf til eigin mataræðis - algengi og forspárþættir á Íslandi
Introduction: Few studies exist on eating attitudes and well-being of adults in Iceland. In most Western societies great emphasis is placed on a lean and fit body, nevertheless the number of people gaining weigt keeps increasing. Such circumstances may cause discomfort related to food and food choice. The aim of this study was to examine attitudes towards food and eating among Icelandic adults.
Material and methods: We used data from the Icelandic national health survey of 5,861 adults, age 18-79, conducted in 2007. A numerical assessment tool for measuring eating attitude was established, based on answers to questions on eating attitude. We used binary regression models to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for unhealthy eating attitude according to different demographic factors.
Results: The prevalence of unhealthy eating attitude according to the measurement tool used in the study was 17% among participants, 22% for women and 11% for men. Unhealthy eating attitude was most prevalent in the age-group 18-29 years (36% of women, 15% of men), among those dissatisfied with their body weight (35% of women, 22% of men) and among those defined as obese (38% of women, 23% of men).
Conclusion: Our data show that women are more prone to express unhealthy eating attitude compared to men. Those of younger age, with weight dissatisfaction and with high body mass index are positively associated with unhealthy eating attitude, irrespective of gender.
Table I. Characteristics of the study population (N=5861).
| N (%) | Women (%) | Men (%) | P-value | |
| Age categories, years | 5861 | 3121 | 2740 | <0.001 |
| 18-29 | 804 (13.7) | 469 (15.0) | 335 (12.2) | |
| 30-39 | 878 (15.0) | 492 (15.8) | 386 (14.1) | |
| 40-49 | 991 (16.9) | 552 (17.7) | 439 (16.0) | |
| 50-59 | 1046 (17.8) | 537 (17.2) | 509 (18.6) | |
| 60-69 | 1078 (18.4) | 526 (16.8) | 552 (20.1) | |
| 70+ | 1064 (18.1) | 545 (17.5) | 519 (18.9) | |
| Marital status | 5827 | 3106 | 2721 | <0.001 |
| Not married or divorced, Widow/er | 1239 (21.3) | 741 (23.9) | 498 (18.3) | |
| Married | 4588 (7.7) | 2365 (76.1) | 2223 (81.7) | |
| Education | 4.97 | 2760 | 2237 | <0.001 |
| Primary | 2327 (46.6) | 1374 (49.8) | 953 (42.6) | |
| Secondary / vocational | 1558 (31.2) | 713 (25.8) | 845 (37.8) | |
| University | 1112 (22.2) | 673 (24.4) | 439 (19.6) | |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 5670 | 2998 | 2672 | <0.001 |
| ≤18.5-24.9 | 2049 (36.1) | 1253 (41.8) | 796 (29.8) | |
| 25-29.9 | 2366 (41.7) | 1042 (34.8) | 1324 (49.5) | |
| ≥30 | 1255 (22.1) | 703 (23.4) | 552 (20.7) | |
| Content with body weight | 5794 | 3090 | 2704 | <0.001 |
| Yes | 3337 (57.6) | 1560 (50.5) | 1777 (65.7) | |
| No | 2457 (42.4) | 1530 (49.5) | 927 (34.3) | |
| |
Table II. Questions on eating attitude.
| Eating attitude: | ||
| N | Yes, n (%) | |
| I feel guilty when I eat sweets | 5653 | 1581 (28.0) |
| I am afraid I cannot stop eating after beginning to eat | 5595 | 502 (9.0) |
| I feel I need to be in control over what I eat | 5655 | 2926 (51.7) |
| N | No, n (%) | |
| I am satisfied with my eating habits | 5700 | 2283 (40.0) |
| I feel good after eating a good meal | 5745 | 597 (10.4) |
| Total – unhealthy eating attitude (3-5 points) | 5451 | 931 (17.1) |
Table III. Odds ratio (OR) for unhealthy eating attitude among women (N=2856).
| Women | Prevalence (%) | OR | OR1 | |
| Age categories, years | ||||
| 18-29 | 465 | 168 (36.1) | 4.81 (3.33-6.96) | 6.33 (4.12-9.72) |
| 30-39 | 482 | 134 (27.8) | 3.28 (2.26-4.76) | 3.52 (2,27-5.47) |
| 40-49 | 536 | 118 (22.0) | 2.40 (1.65-3.50) | 2.20 (1.41-3.40) |
| 50-59 | 506 | 101 (20.0) | 2.12 (1.45-3.12) | 2.24 (1.45-3.45) |
| 60-69 | 458 | 71 (15.5) | 1.56 (1.04-2.34) | 1.54 (0.98-2.41) |
| 70+ | 409 | 43 (11.7) | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Marital status | ||||
| Not married or divorced, Widdow/er | 662 | 153 (23.1) | 1.07 (0.87-1.31) | 1.11 (0.87-1.42) |
| Married | 2187 | 480 (21.9) | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Education | ||||
| Primary | 1205 | 236 (19.6) | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Secondary / vocational | 683 | 186 (27.2) | 1.54 (1.23-1.92) | 1.19 (0.92-1.53) |
| University | 657 | 152 (23.1) | 1.24 (0.98-1.56) | 1.04 (0.80-1.37) |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | ||||
| ≤18.5-24.9 | 1149 | 169 (14.7) | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 25-29.9 | 967 | 199 (20.6) | 1.50 (1.20-1.88) | 2.05 (1.60-2.64) |
| ≥30 | 650 | 246 (37.8) | 3.53 (2.81-4.43) | 4.73 (3.65-6.13) |
| Content with body weight | ||||
| Yes | 1408 | 128 (9.1) | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| No | 1429 | 502 (35.1) | 5.41 (4.38-6.69) | 4.00 (3.07-5.20) |
| Unhealthy eating attitude | 635 (22.2) |
1Adjusted for age, marital status, education and body mass index.
Table IV. Odds ratio (OR) for unhealthy eating attitude among men (N=2573).
| Men (%) | Prevalence (%) | OR | OR1 | |
| Age categories, years | ||||
| 18-29 | 327 | 49 (15.0) | 2.54 (1.56-4.15) | 3.77 (2.03-7.00) |
| 30-39 | 382 | 53 (13.9) | 2.32 (1.44-3.76) | 2.62 (1.44-4.78) |
| 40-49 | 428 | 57 (13.3) | 2.22 (1.38-3.56) | 1.94 (1.06-3.55) |
| 50-59 | 490 | 58 (11.8) | 1.94 (1.21-3.10) | 1.93 (1.06-3.50) |
| 60-69 | 514 | 45 (8.8) | 1.38 (0.85-2.26) | 1.44 (0.78-2.68) |
| 70+ | 432 | 28 (6.9) | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Marital status | ||||
| Not married or divorced, Widdow/er | 456 | 60 (13.2) | 1.25 (0.92-1.69) | 1.28 (0.89-1.4) |
| Married | 2104 | 228 (10.8) | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Education | ||||
| Primary | 860 | 96 (11.2) | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Secondary / vocational | 819 | 87 (10.6) | 0.95 (0.70-1.29) | 0.94 (0.68-1.31) |
| University | 430 | 64 (14.9) | 1.39 (0.99-1.96) | 1.41 (0.97-2.03) |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | ||||
| ≤ 18.5-24.9 | 749 | 35 (4.7) | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 25-29.9 | 1254 | 129 (10.3) | 2.34 (1.59-3.44) | 2.66 (1.74-4.05) |
| ≥ 30 | 512 | 116 (22.7) | 5.98 (4.02-8.89) | 7.14 (4.60-11.10) |
| Content with body weight | ||||
| Yes | 1666 | 90 (5.4) | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| No | 882 | 198 (22.4) | 5.07 (3.89-6.61) | 3.55 (2.53-4.99) |
| Hamlandi fæðuviðhorf | 290 (11.3) |
1Adjusted for age, marital status, education and body mass index.
Ólöf Dröfn Sigurbjörnsdóttir1,2, Jóhanna Eyrún Torfadóttir1,2, Anna Sigríður Ólafsdóttir3, Laufey Steingrímsdóttir2
1Centre of Public Health Sciences, University of Iceland, 2Unit for Nutrition Research, University of Iceland & Landspitali-University Hospital,3School of Education, University of Iceland.