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A longitudinal study of food intake patterns and obesity in adult Danish men and women

International Journal of Obesity volume 28, pages 583–593 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that specific food intake patterns or changes in food intake patterns were related to future changes in body mass index (BMI).

DESIGN: Longitudinal observational study, with clinical and questionnaire examinations at baseline and two follow-up surveys, after 5 and 11 years.

SUBJECTS: In all, 3785 men and women attended at baseline, of which 2436 aged 30–60 y attended all three examinations.

MEASUREMENTS: A 26-item food frequency questionnaire, standardised measurements of height and weight and a lifestyle questionnaire. Food intake patterns were identified by factor analysis. Regression models including: scores on each factor, BMI, smoking, leisure time physical activity, education, parity, age; and as outcomes: baseline BMI, BMI change between baseline, 5- and 11-y follow-up and obesity at 11-y follow-up, respectively.

RESULTS: For men, three factors labelled ‘Green’, ‘Sweet’ and ‘Traditional’, and for women, two factors labelled ‘Green’ and ‘Sweet-Traditional’ were identified. Scores on the ‘Sweet’ and ‘Sweet-Traditional’ factors were inversely associated with baseline BMI. For men, baseline ‘Traditional’ factor score and, for women, baseline ‘Sweet-Traditional’ factor score was inversely associated with subsequent 11- and 5-y BMI change, respectively. Using the three examinations, a more advanced longitudinal model, which included preceding changes in BMI and factor scores, was tested but no significant associations between factor scores, changes in factor scores and subsequent BMI changes or obesity were found.

CONCLUSION: In this longitudinal study of a Danish population, food intake factors could not consistently predict changes in BMI or obesity development.

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Notes

  1. The factor analysis of categorical variables in Mplus involves ‘interposed’ continuous variables representing the propensity of a participant to tick a certain category in the FFQ for each food. Thresholds in the hypothetical continuous variables ‘decide’ what categorical answer is given by the participant.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Research Unit for Dietary Studies (steering committee: Berit L Heitmann, Lillian Mørch Jørgensen, Merete Osler, Agnes N Pedersen and Marianne Schroll) for making data available. The establishment of Research Unit for Dietary Studies was financed by the FREJA (Female Researchers in Joint Action) programme from the Danish Medical Research Council. The Danish National Science Foundation supported the Danish epidemiology Science Centre. This study was supported by The Danish Medical Research Council the FREJA-programme, a grant from the University of Copenhagen, DK (j.nr. 301-116-5/99) and the Else and Mogens Wedell-Wedellsborgs Foundation (Grant 664).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Unit for Dietary Studies at the Institute of Preventive Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark

    P Togo & B L Heitmann

  2. Copenhagen County Research Centre for Prevention and Health, Glostrup University Hospital, Glostrup, Denmark

    P Togo

  3. Institute of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    M Osler

  4. Danish Epidemiology Science Centre at the Institute of Preventive Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark

    T I A Sørensen & B L Heitmann

Authors
  1. P Togo
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  2. M Osler
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  3. T I A Sørensen
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  4. B L Heitmann
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Correspondence to P Togo.

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Togo, P., Osler, M., Sørensen, T. et al. A longitudinal study of food intake patterns and obesity in adult Danish men and women. Int J Obes 28, 583–593 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0802598

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