Ageing, retirement and changes in vegetable consumption in France: findings from the prospective GAZEL cohort

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe the change in vegetable consumption with ageing and the transition to retirement. Study subjects were the participants of the GAZEL prospective cohort (Gaz and Électricité de France) aged 40-49 years at inclusion in 1989 who retired between 1991 and 2008 (12 942 men and 2739 women). Four FFQ were completed from 1990 to 2009. We used multiple imputation by chained equations in order to avoid dropping incomplete cases. The OR for eating vegetables everyday was estimated as a function of ageing, retirement status and the place of lunch before retirement through generalised estimating equations. Analyses were stratified by sex, and models were adjusted for confounders, including current spousal status. In 1990, 17·7 % of men and 31 % of women reported eating vegetables daily. The odds of consuming vegetables everyday increased with ageing for both men and women. The usual place of lunch was home for less than half the sample before retirement and for almost every respondent after retirement. For those who changed their place of lunch, the association between being retired and the odds of eating vegetables daily was positive and significant. We found that, in this cohort, vegetable consumption increased with ageing. Retirement had an indirect effect on vegetable consumption mediated by changes in the place of lunch.Key words: Ageing: Vegetable consumption: Retirement: Multiple imputations: Meal place: GAZEL prospective cohort Vegetables are a major focus of current nutritional guidelines in developed countries because higher intakes can help protect from a wide range of non-communicable diseases (1) . Recent findings suggest that only 12 % of the Americans meet the official dietary guidelines for vegetable intake (2) and that the British consumed on average 135 g/d of vegetables, 100 g/d below the UK guidelines (3) . In France, vegetable intakes appear to be higher, close to the levels reported in Southern European countries (4) , with 55 % of the population eating more than two servings (160 g) daily (5) . Barriers to vegetable consumption include cost, poor nutritional knowledge and limited cooking time and skills (6)(7)(8) . Although people spend more time in food preparation in France than in many other European countries (9) , these factors are also associated with lower vegetable consumption (5,10,11) .Cross-sectional surveys suggest a strong association between age and vegetable consumption in France and elsewhere (5,(12)(13)(14)(15) . However, it remains unclear whether age reflects the process of ageing, differences across birth cohorts or the impact of specific life-course transitions (16)(17)(18)(19) such as retirement. Studies on the transition to retirement have shown its positive impact on health outcomes such as self-rated health (20) and sleep (21) , but results are unclear regarding physical activity (22,23) or alcohol consumption (24) . In a cohort of 1200 Finnish civil servants, Helldán et al. (25) found an increase in healthy food habits in retired wom...

Changes in fruit, vegetable and fish consumption after statutory retirement: a prospective cohort study

“…A French prospective study found that transition to retirement was associated with a decrease in fruit consumption and overall unhealthier dietary intakes (27) . Other studies have found positive changes, such as an increased consumption of vegetables after retirement in a French prospective cohort study (28) . Some studies have found mixed or no association, including decreased fruit consumption and increased vegetable consumption after retirement in a Dutch longitudinal study among men (29) , and no associations of retirement with fruit and vegetable consumption in a large Australian follow-up study (30) and with fish consumption in the British Whitehall II Study (31) .…”

Consumption of a High Quantity and a Wide Variety of Vegetables Are Predicted by Different Food Choice Motives in Older Adults from France, Italy and the UK

“…Our findings most likely reflect the relatively young age of our older adults. Associations between vegetable consumption and affluence or socio-economic status have also previously been suggested [ 31 , 33 , 56 , 57 , 58 ], and associations between socio-economic status and healthy dietary and lifestyle habits are well known [ 28 , 31 , 50 , 53 , 56 , 58 ]. These associations have largely been associated with the monetary and practical costs of healthy dietary habits, and perceptions of fruits and vegetables as poor-value foods (in terms of energy provided per unit cost or unit effort) are reported [ 49 , 50 , 74 ].…”

“…Higher consumption was found in the UK compared to France compared to Italy, but whether these effects are due to the country or due to the different samples studied in each country is unknown. Previous studies and consumption databases typically report a higher vegetable consumption in Southern as opposed to Northern European countries [ 25 , 33 , 57 , 58 , 60 , 73 ], and differences were found between the different samples for each country on several demographic variables, although genuine effects as a result of income/affluence from South to North have also been suggested [ 31 ]. Given the differences between samples, while the analyses within countries are likely to be accurate [ 47 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 ], direct comparisons between countries should only be conducted with caution.…”

“…This study aimed to investigate the affective factors associated with a high vegetable intake and a wide variety of vegetables consumed by older adults in Europe. Demographic predictors were also assessed as known predictors of vegetable or fruit and vegetable intakes in the older population [ 30 , 34 , 46 , 50 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 ]. However, our focus is on liking and attitudes, due to the higher potential for intervention and change.…”

Associations between transition to retirement and changes in dietary intakes in French adults (NutriNet-Santé cohort study)

“…may also explain such equivocal results. Two prospective studies showed a positive impact of retirement on dietary intake: higher adherence to several Nordic recommendations were observed in women who retired compared with continuously employed women, and increase of vegetables after retirement in men was reported in another study [13, 14]. However, results on food groups’ consumption are equivocal [15–17].…”