Top dietary sources of energy, sodium, sugars, and saturated fats among Canadians: Insights from the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey

Dietary risk factors are major contributors to morbidity and mortality and there is significant attention to interventions to support healthy eating, including through the creation of a healthier food supply. The objective of these analyses was to inform interventions to support healthy eating by examining the top dietary sources of calories, sodium, sugars, and saturated fats among Canadians in relation to sex, age, and income. We drew upon data from the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey, which collected interviewer-administered 24-hour dietary recalls from Canadians residing in the ten provinces, aged 1 year and above (n=20,176). Foods and beverages were grouped into 91 mutually-exclusive categories (e.g., 100% fruit juice, fruit drinks). Based on the average proportion contributed, the top 20 sources of each dietary component were identified for all individuals and by sex-age and income groups. The mean amount of each dietary component contributed by each category (per capita and per consumer) and the proportions of persons consuming items in each category were also examined. Top sources included commonly-consumed items (e.g., breads and flatbreads as sources of sodium), as well as those high in a given dietary component (e.g., soda as a source of sugars). A number of food and beverage categories were top contributors to more than one dietary component examined, suggesting possible priorities for intervention and future analyses. The identification of major sources of calories and nutrients of concern can inform population health efforts, such as reformulation, to improve the health of Canadians.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author