Eating habits and links with social-demographic factors and lifestyle of Lithuanian adult population

The aim of the paper: to assess dietary habits and their relation to lifestyle and socio-demographic factors of Lithuanian adult population in 2010. Objectives: investigate eating habits of Lithuanian adult; to analyze the eating habits links with lifestyle; to establish the eating habits links with socio-demographic factors. Methodology of the paper: research study consisted of 20 to 64 age. The 4000 random sample of people age was awarded for this investigation of Lithuanian Population Register. 2,000 people completed the questionnaire in total (755 men and 1245 women). Adult dietary habits were determined by investigating breakfast habits, the fat used on bread and for cooking, usually drinking milk and cereal consumption. Assessing dietary links to lifestyle and socio-demographic factors, the number of variables characterizing dietary habits was reduced. Therefore, factor analysis was performed. The analysis included 16 variables: fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, cooked or canned fruit, chicken, cheese, cottage cheese, fish, meat and meat products, cereals or porridge, rice or noodles, boiled potatoes, fried potatoes, eggs, pastry products, chocolate or candy. The statistical data analysis was performed using computerized statistical package SPSS 15.0 and Microsoft Excel. Results: most adults used cooking oil, the men - 85 percent., women - 93 percent. Margarine, tepee, fat mixture mainly on bread (men - 54.2 percent., women - 49.1 percent). Most of men drank natural milk (43.2 percent)., moderate fat - women (37.8 percent). Men, physically active every day, or at least 4-6 times a week, consumed fresh vegetables, fruits and berries more than physically passive, respectively 34.7 percent and 24 percent. Women, eating boiled potatoes and meat drank more spirits than women that received less of these products, respectively. 31.2 percent, and 21.5 percent. Food consumption attributed to \"Cereal\" factor depended on education. Women with higher education, porridge, breakfast cereals, pasta, received more than primary education, women, respectively 25.7 percent. and 15.8 percent. Conclusions: dietary habits of Lithuanian population were not always in line with healthy eating recommendations. Although the majority of the population used oil for cooking, but more than a third of men and women used butter on the bread and drank the fat milk. The oldest old men and women (50-64 years) much more had a breakfast in the morning, ate fish, porridge or breakfast cereals, and consumed meat and meat products less than the youngest (20-34 years). Population with higher education used more butter on the bread, ate fish and drank fat milk less, compared with having secondary education. Rural population dietary habits were less healthy than urban. Dietary habits were related to lifestyle factors. Men eating meat and meat products smoked and consumed beer more, women – used strong alcoholic beverages more. Women eating rice, noodles, porridge and breakfast cereals were physically active more and used strong alcoholic beverages less. Socio-demographic differences links with dietary habits were identified. People with higher education choosed the products assigned factors of \"Vegetable\", \"Egg\" and \"Cereal\" and the secondary education population - the \"Meat\" factor. The \"Meat\" factor was associated with men 20-34 age group. Food attributed to \"Cereal\" factor was associated with the 50-64 age among women