From margarine to butter: predictors of changing bread spread in an 11-year population follow-up

• Published in: Public health nutrition 2016-06, Vol.19 (9), p.1707-1717
• Main Authors: Prättälä, Ritva, Levälahti, Esko, Lallukka, Tea, Männistö, Satu, Paalanen, Laura, Raulio, Susanna, Roos, Eva, Suominen, Sakari, Mäki-Opas, Tomi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 2000-2011; Adult; Bread; Butter; Change of bread spread; Community nutrition; Diet; Dietary Fats; Female; Finland; Follow-up; Follow-Up Studies; Fysisk aktivitet, idrott, hälsa och digital teknik; Gender differences; Humans; Longitudinal studies; Male; Margarine; Middle Aged; Nutrition; Physical Activity, IT and Health; Research Papers; Vegetable oils; Vegetables
• ISSN: 1368-9800; 1475-2727; 1475-2727
• DOI: 10.1017/S1368980015003390

Finland is known for a sharp decrease in the intake of saturated fat and cardiovascular mortality. Since 2000, however, the consumption of butter-containing spreads - an important source of saturated fats - has increased. We examined social and health-related predictors of the increase among Finnish men and women. An 11-year population follow-up. A representative random sample of adult Finns, invited to a health survey in 2000. Altogether 5414 persons aged 30-64 years at baseline in 2000 were re-invited in 2011. Of men 1529 (59 %) and of women 1853 (66 %) answered the questions on bread spreads at both time points. Respondents reported the use of bread spreads by choosing one of the following alternatives: no fat, soft margarine, butter-vegetable oil mixture and butter, which were later categorized into margarine/no spread and butter/butter-vegetable oil mixture (= butter). The predictors included gender, age, marital status, education, employment status, place of residence, health behaviours, BMI and health. Multinomial regression models were fitted. Of the 2582 baseline margarine/no spread users, 24.6% shifted to butter. Only a few of the baseline sociodemographic or health-related determinants predicted the change. Finnish women were more likely to change to butter than men. Living with a spouse predicted the change among men. The change from margarine to butter between 2000 and 2011 seemed not to be a matter of compliance with official nutrition recommendations. Further longitudinal studies on social, behavioural and motivational predictors of dietary changes are needed.