AUTHOR=Bouzas Cristina , Pastor Rosario , García Silvia , Monserrat-Mesquida Margalida , Martínez-González Miguel Ángel , Salas-Salvadó Jordi , Corella Dolores , Schröder Helmut , Martínez J. Alfredo , Alonso-Gómez Ángel M. , Wärnberg Julia , Vioque Jesús , Romaguera Dora , Lopez-Miranda José , Estruch Ramon , Tinahones Francisco J. , Lapetra José , Serra-Majem Lluís , Riquelme-Gallego Blanca , Romero-Secin Anny , Pintó Xavier , Gaforio José J. , Matía Pilar , Vidal Josep , Zapatero Miriam , Daimiel Lidia , Ros Emilio , García-Arellano Ana , Babio Nancy , Gonzalez-Monje Inmaculada , Castañer Olga , Abete Itziar , Tojal-Sierra Lucas , Benavente-Marín Juan Carlos , Signes-Pastor Antonio , Konieczna Jadwiga , García-Ríos Antonio , Castro-Barquero Sara , Fernández-García José C. , Santos-Lozano José Manuel , Bes-Rastrollo Maira , Mestres Cristina , Guillem-Saiz Patricia , Goday Albert , Goicolea-Güemez Leire , Puig-Aguiló Estanislao , Ruiz-Canela Miguel , Palau-Galindo Antoni , Fitó Montse , Tur Josep A. 

TITLE=Association of monetary diet cost of foods and diet quality in Spanish older adults

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1166787

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2023.1166787

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>A major barrier to a healthy diet may be the higher price of healthy foods compared to low-quality foods.</p></sec><sec><title>Objectives</title><p>This study aimed to assess the association between the monetary cost of food and diet quality in Spanish older adults at high risk of cardiovascular disease.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>Cross-sectional analysis was carried out in Spanish older adults (<italic>n</italic> = 6,838; 48.6% female). A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to assess dietary intake. Metabolic syndrome severity, adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet), adherence to a provegetarian dietary pattern, and dietary inflammatory index were assessed. The economic cost of the foods was obtained from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food database (2015–2017, the period of time when the participants were recruited). The total cost of diet adjusted per 1,000 kcal was computed.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>The healthier dietary pattern was associated with a higher cost of the diet. Higher adherence to the MedDiet, anti-inflammatory diet, and the healthy version of the provegetarian dietary pattern were related to higher costs of the diet.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>Higher diet quality was associated with a higher dietary cost of the diet per 1,000 kcal/day. Food prices can be an important component of interventions and policies aimed at improving people's diets and preventing diet-related chronic diseases.</p></sec><sec><title>Clinical trial registry number</title><p>The trial was registered in 2014 at the International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial (ISRCT; <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN89898870" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN89898870</ext-link>) with the number 89898870.</p></sec>