Meal patterns across ten European countries - results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) calibration study.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize meal patterns across ten European countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) calibration study. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study utilizing dietary data collected through a standardized 24 h diet recall during 1995-2000. Eleven predefined intake occasions across a 24 h period were assessed during the interview. In the present descriptive report, meal patterns were analysed in terms of daily number of intake occasions, the proportion reporting each intake occasion and the energy contributions from each intake occasion. SETTING: Twenty-seven centres across ten European countries. SUBJECTS: Women (64 %) and men (36 %) aged 35-74 years (n 36 020). RESULTS: Pronounced differences in meal patterns emerged both across centres within the same country and across different countries, with a trend for fewer intake occasions per day in Mediterranean countries compared with central and northern Europe. Differences were also found for daily energy intake provided by lunch, with 38-43 % for women and 41-45 % for men within Mediterranean countries compared with 16-27 % for women and 20-26 % for men in central and northern European countries. Likewise, a south-north gradient was found for daily energy intake from snacks, with 13-20 % (women) and 10-17 % (men) in Mediterranean countries compared with 24-34 % (women) and 23-35 % (men) in central/northern Europe. CONCLUSIONS: We found distinct differences in meal patterns with marked diversity for intake frequency and lunch and snack consumption between Mediterranean and central/northern European countries. Monitoring of meal patterns across various cultures and populations could provide critical context to the research efforts to characterize relationships between dietary intake and health.

Individual mental health patterns and the role of lifestyle among ageing adults over 20 years - the Doetinchem Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: We explored the prevalence of individual mental health patterns and the role of lifestyle factors over 20 years. STUDY DESIGN: We used data from the Doetinchem Cohort Study (1995-2019), a population-based study amongst adults (26-90 years) examined every five years in the Netherlands. Participants were classified in five pre-defined mental health patterns (persistent good, persistent poor, worsening, improving, varying) over 20 years (five rounds) using the MHI-5 questionnaire. BMI, sleep, smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity were dichotomised as healthy/unhealthy based on guidelines. The role of lifestyle at baseline (t1), 20 years later (t5), and longitudinally over 20 years (using pre-defined patterns) was explored using logistic regression. RESULTS: Most participants had good mental health at t1 (85 %) and t5 (88 %). Over 20 years, 67 % followed a persistent good mental health pattern, 30 % a changing pattern, and 3 % a persistent poor pattern. Persistent poor and changing patterns were associated with unhealthy sleep and smoking at t1, t5, and with the 20-year unhealthy patterns. Persistent poor mental health was associated with stable unhealthy and changing sleep (OR=5.58(2.48-12.54) and OR=2.07(1.14-3.74), respectively), and with stable unhealthy and changing smoking (OR=3.35(1.58-7.11) and OR=2.53(1.40-4.57), respectively). Changing mental health was associated with changing (OR=1.54(1.26-1.88) and OR=1.64(1.30-2.07), respectively) and stable unhealthy (OR=1.80(1.23-2.64) and OR=2.24(1.60-3.14), respectively) sleep and smoking, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Persistent good and changing mental health patterns were more common than poor mental health in adults and were associated with smoking and sleep. Clarifying the underlying mechanisms and directionality between mental health and lifestyle could improve interventions.