Journal
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION
Volume 100, Issue 6, Pages 1520-1531Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.114.089029
Keywords
diet; low- and middle-income countries; socioeconomic status; nutrients; education; income; urban; rural; diet patterns
Categories
Funding
- Swiss Excellence Government scholarship - Swiss Confederation
- Swiss National Science Foundation [PZ00P3_147998]
- Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) [PZ00P3_147998] Funding Source: Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF)
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Background: In high-income countries, high socioeconomic status (SES) is generally associated with a healthier diet, but whether social differences in dietary intake are also present in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remains to be established. Objective: We performed a systematic review of studies that assessed the relation between SES and dietary intake in LMICs. Design: We carried out a systematic review of cohort and cross-sectional studies in adults in LMICs and published between 1996 and 2013. We assessed associations between markers of SES or urban and rural settings and dietary intake. Results: A total of 33 studies from 17 LMICs were included (5 low-income countries and 12 middle-income countries; 31 cross-sectional and 2 longitudinal studies). A majority of studies were conducted in Brazil (8), China (6), and Iran (4). High SES or living in urban areas was associated with higher intakes of calories; protein; total fat; cholesterol; polyunsaturated, saturated, and monounsaturated fatty acids; iron; and vitamins A and C and with lower intakes of carbohydrates and fiber. High SES was also associated with higher fruit and/or vegetable consumption, diet quality, and diversity. Although very few studies were performed in low-income countries, similar patterns were generally observed in both LMICs except for fruit intake, which was lower- in urban than in rural areas in low-income countries. Conclusions: In LMICs, high SES or living in urban areas is associated with overall healthier dietary patterns. However, it is also related to higher energy, cholesterol, and saturated fat intakes. Social inequalities in dietary intake should be considered in the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases in LMICs.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available