Diet quality and nutritional status by socio-economical level in Córdoba city, during 2020

Abstract

Background: The socioeconomic position of people acts as a social determinant in the health-disease processes, thus generating an impact on the diet quality (DQ) and the nutritional status (NE) of subjects.

Objective:  To analyze the DQ and NE, according to the socioeconomic level (SES), in the population of Córdoba city, during 2020.

Materials and methods: A population-based, descriptive-correlational observational study was carried out with 410 subjects. Participants answered a survey that includes sociodemographic data and a validated food frequency questionnaire. The NE according to body mass index was classified as low weight, normal weight, pre-obesity and obesity; and the SES was categorized as high, medium and low, based on a combination between occupation and education level of the main breadwinner in the household. In addition, a Healthy Eating Index (HEI) was calculated, assigning a score to each individual according to the degree of compliance with the recommendations of the Argentinian Dietary Guidelines. Each food group constitutes a component of the index, and the sum of the scores obtained represented the global score of the HEI for each individual, then categorized as unhealthy: <45; needs changes: 45-72; healthy:> 72. A multinomial multiple logistic regression model was adjusted, with the HEI categories as the response variable. The SES, NE and others were included as covariates.
Results: The prevalence of pre-obesity was 29% and obesity 22%. According to the HEI, 85% of the population needs changes in their diet. People with obesity were 4 times more likely to have an unhealthy score (OR = 4.36; 95% CI 1.54-12.37). The medium and high SES showed a lower chance of having an unhealthy HEI than the low SES (OR = 0.42; 95% CI 0.17-1.00; OR = 0.33; 95% CI 0.11-1, 00, respectively).
Conclusion: DQ and NE differ in the different SES. Hence, actions based on the promotion of health and healthy eating habits should be focused and oriented to the particular needs of each socioeconomic situation.