Eating habits and nutritional status of the adult population in Nyíregyháza

Abstract

Introduction: The health status of the Hungarian population is still unfavourablecompared to the average of the EU and OECD countries. Unhealthy diet shows a strong association with cardiovascular diseases, cancer diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity. The aim of our study was to survey eating habits and nutritional status ofthe adult population of Nyíregyháza.
Methods: 386 participants were involved in our cross-sectional study carried out in 2018. The questions regarding the eating habits and nutritional status derived from the questionnaire of the European Health InterviewSurvey (EHIS) 2009. Nutritional status was measured by body mass index (BMI) calculated from self-reported weight and height, the BMI was categorized according to the WHO classification. Data were evaluated by the SPSS software (Version22.0) and Chi-squared test was used for the statistical analysis.
Results: More than half of the adult population of Nyíregyháza consumed fresh fruits and/or vegetables every day, which was lower than the country average. The fruit consumption was significantly higher among females compared to males (p=0.016). Forty percent of the population consumed whole grain bakeries daily and one-third (33.5%) consumed fish weekly. The fish consumption of males was significantly higher compared to females (p=0.005). Seventy percent of adult males and half of females were overweight or obese. The prevalence of overweight and obesity increased with aging in both sexes. The prevalence of obesity was the highest among males between 35-64 (41.5%), and among females over 65 years (34%).
Conclusions: Fresh fruit and vegetable consumption of the population of Nyíregyháza was lower compared to the country average, while the consumption of whole grain bakeries and fish was favourable. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was higher among males, especially in the age group 35-64. Targeted prevention programmes are needed for the adult population of Nyíregyháza to prevent overweight and obesity, to promote physical activity and healthy nutrition, especially for the middle-aged males.