Objective: To describe the consumption of ready-to-eat-breakfast cereals (RTEBCs) in Irish adults and its impact on adequacy and safety of micronutrient intakes and compliance with dietary recommendations. Design: Analysis for this paper used data from the North/South Ireland Food Consumption Survey that estimated habitual food intake using a 7-day food diary in a representative sample of adults aged 18-64 years (n ¼ 1379; 662 men, 717 women). Results: Despite the small quantity consumed (mean 28.6 g day 21 or 4.7% of total energy intake), RTEBCs made an important contribution to the mean daily intake of carbohydrate (8.1%), starch (10.8%), dietary fibre (9.8%) and non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) (10.8%) in consumers. Increased consumption was associated with a more fibre-dense diet and with greater compliance with dietary recommendations for fat, carbohydrate and NSP. Fortified RTEBCs contributed significantly to mean daily intakes of iron (18%), thiamin (14%), riboflavin (17%), niacin (15%), vitamin B 6 (13%), total folate (18%) and vitamin D (10%) and most of the contribution was from micronutrients added to RTEBCs. Increased consumption of fortified RTEBCs was associated with an increased nutrient density for a number of micronutrients and with a lower prevalence of dietary inadequacy of calcium, iron, riboflavin and folate, particularly in women. However, it was not associated with intakes in excess of the Tolerable Upper Intake Level for any micronutrient. Conclusions: The consumption of RTEBCs is associated with improved compliance with dietary recommendations for fat, carbohydrate and fibre, with a more micronutrient-dense diet and a reduced risk of dietary inadequacy for calcium, iron, riboflavin and folate, without increasing the risk of excessive intakes of micronutrients.

Objective: To evaluate habitual levels of physical activity in a nationally representative sample of adults in Ireland. Design: Cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire. Usual levels of work, recreational and household activities were evaluated in relation to anthropometric, demographic and socio-economic characteristics. The amount and intensity of all activities were quantified by assigning metabolic equivalents (METS) to each activity. Setting: Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, 1997Ireland, -1999. Subjects: Random sample of 1379 adults aged 18-64 years. Results: Men were approximately twice as active in work and recreational activity (139.7 ± 83-9 METS) as women (68.5 ± 49-8 METS; P < 0.001), but women were three times more active in household tasks (65-9 ± 58.7 METS vs. 22.6 ± 24.6 METS; P < 0.001). Overall levels of physical activity declined with increasing age, particularly leisure activity in men. In women the decline in work activity was offset by spending more time in household pursuits. Twenty-five per cent of the subjects were extremely overweight (body mass index (BMI) > 28kgm~2) or obese (BMI > 30kgm~2). Fewer obese subjects reported higher levels of work and leisure activities. However, a higher percentage of obese women reported participation in the higher levels of household activities. Participation rates in recreational activities were low. Walking was the most important leisure activity of both men (41%) and women (60%). In terms of hours per week spent in vigorous physical activity, men were more active than women, professional and skilled non-manual women were more active than women in other social classes, and younger subjects (aged 18-35 years) were more active than older subjects. Conclusions: The holistic approach used in the assessment of physical activity in this study has revealed important and subtle differences in the activity patterns of men and women. Failure to fully characterise the respective activity patterns of men and women could lead to ill-informed public health policy aimed at promoting and sustaining lifetime habits of physical activity. The results suggest that simple population-focused programmes to promote physical activity are unlikely to offer the same chance of long-term success as more sensitive and individualised strategies. Keywords Physical activity patternsOverweight Obesity Ireland Social doss Cross-sectional survey During the course of the last century, changes in lifestyle have had a profound impact on patterns of energy expenditure and physical activity in affluent countries. Increased mechanisation in the workplace has markedly reduced the need for moderate and high intensity activity. In the home, the energy cost of housework has also been minimised while television viewing and related pursuits now monopolise much of the available leisure time of a significant proportion of the population. As a result, predominantly sedentary populations can survive with minimal exertion and can achieve energy equilibrium at a leve...

Objective: To evaluate the contribution of composite foods to vegetable and fruit intakes in Irish adults and to compliance with dietary guidelines for vegetable and fruit intake. Design: Data were analysed from the North/South Ireland Food Consumption Survey of 18-64-year-old adults (n ¼ 1379; 662 men, 717 women), which used a 7-day food diary to estimate food intake. ). The mean daily intakes of vegetables, fruit and potatoes from composite foods were 37 g (26%), 6 g (5%) and 17 g (7%), respectively. The mean intake of vegetables from composite foods was unrelated to age or gender, but increased with increasing social class and level of education attained. The proportions of men and women meeting the recommendation for $ 400 g day 21 (5 servings of 80 g per day) of vegetables and fruit were 21% (15% excluding composite foods) and 19% (12% excluding composite foods), respectively. Compliance with the dietary recommendation decreased with decreasing levels of educational attainment and social class. Conclusion: Intakes of vegetables and fruit are low compared with current dietary recommendations, particularly in those of lower levels of educational attainment and social class. Composite foods are an important source of vegetables (less importantly of fruit) and should be included when estimating vegetable intakes. Failure to do so may result in bias in estimates of intake and of compliance with dietary guidelines for population groups, as well as misclassification of individuals by level of intake.

Objective: Mean daily intakes of dietary fibre (DF, Southgate) and non-starch polysaccharide (NSP, Englyst) are estimated in a representative sample of adults aged 18-64 years in Ireland. The contribution of food groups to DF and NSP intake is reported and fibre intakes are compared with dietary recommendations and with intakes in some European countries. Design: Food consumption was estimated using 7-day food diaries for a representative sample (n = 1379; 662 men, 717 women) of 18-64 year old adults in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland selected from the electoral register. DF and NSP intakes were estimated from tables of food composition. . The main food groups that contributed to mean daily intake of DF (NSP) in the sample were breads 31% (23%), potatoes 19% (23%), and vegetables 17% (19%). Absolute intakes of DF and NSP were higher (P < 0.001) in men than women; however, women overall consumed more (P < 0.001) fibre-dense diets than men. Women aged 18-35 years consumed less (P < 0.01) DF and NSP (g) than women aged 36-64 years. Both men and women aged 18-35 years consumed less (P < 0.01) fibre-dense diets than men and women aged 36-64 years. The NSP intake was below the nutritional goal of 18 g day" 1 in 77% of adults and below the minimum of the recommended range (12 g day" 1 ) in 37% of the total sample. Compliance (i.e. the maximum number of individuals whose collective mean daily intake corresponded to the population goal) with the (UK) population goal for an average intake of 18 g day" 1 NSP was achieved by a greater proportion of the population (63%) than compliance with the