Abstract
Objective: Understanding the socioeconomic inequalities in dietary intake is crucial when addressing the socioeconomic gradient in obesity rates and non-communicable diseases. We aimed to systematically assess the association between socioeconomic position (SEP) and dietary intake in Chile.
Design: We searched for peer-reviewed and grey literature from inception until 31st December 2019 in PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, Web of Sciences and LILACS databases. Observational studies published in English and Spanish, reporting the comparison of at least one dietary factor between at least two groups of different SEP in the general Chilean population, were selected. Two researchers independently conducted data searches, screening, extraction and assessed study quality using an adaptation of the Newcastle Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale.
Results: Twenty-one articles (from 18 studies) were included. Study quality was considered low, medium, and high for 24, 52 and 24% of articles, respectively. Moderate-to-large associations indicated lower intake of fruit and vegetables, dairy products and fish/seafood and higher pulses consumption among adults of lower SEP. Variable evidence of association was found for energy intake and macronutrients, in both children and adults.
Conclusions: Our findings highlight some socioeconomic inequalities in diets in Chile, evidencing an overall less healthy food consumption among the lower SEP groups. New policies to reduce these inequalities should tackle the unequal distribution of factors affecting healthy eating among the lower SEP groups. These findings also provide important insights for developing strategies to reduce dietary inequalities in Chile and other countries that have undergone similar nutritional transitions.
Design: We searched for peer-reviewed and grey literature from inception until 31st December 2019 in PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, Web of Sciences and LILACS databases. Observational studies published in English and Spanish, reporting the comparison of at least one dietary factor between at least two groups of different SEP in the general Chilean population, were selected. Two researchers independently conducted data searches, screening, extraction and assessed study quality using an adaptation of the Newcastle Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale.
Results: Twenty-one articles (from 18 studies) were included. Study quality was considered low, medium, and high for 24, 52 and 24% of articles, respectively. Moderate-to-large associations indicated lower intake of fruit and vegetables, dairy products and fish/seafood and higher pulses consumption among adults of lower SEP. Variable evidence of association was found for energy intake and macronutrients, in both children and adults.
Conclusions: Our findings highlight some socioeconomic inequalities in diets in Chile, evidencing an overall less healthy food consumption among the lower SEP groups. New policies to reduce these inequalities should tackle the unequal distribution of factors affecting healthy eating among the lower SEP groups. These findings also provide important insights for developing strategies to reduce dietary inequalities in Chile and other countries that have undergone similar nutritional transitions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Public Health Nutrition |
| Early online date | 12 Jul 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 12 Jul 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© The Authors 2021.
Research Groups and Themes
- SPS Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences
Keywords
- dietary intakes
- Socioeconomic inequalities
- obesity inequalities
- systematic review
Access to Document
- Full Text PDF (Accepted author manuscript)
This is the accepted author manuscript (AAM). The final published version (version of record) is available online via Cambridge University Press at 10.1017/S1368980021002937. Please refer to any applicable terms of use of the publisher.