Skip to main content

Table 2 Dietary intake according to level of education in Australian adults in the 1995 National Nutrition Survey and the 2011–13 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Surveya

From: Are dietary inequalities among Australian adults changing? a nationally representative analysis of dietary change according to socioeconomic position between 1995 and 2011–13

 

OVERALL, mean [95% CI]

Low education

Medium education

High education

 

1995

n = 4875

2011–13

n = 2295

1995

n = 3785

2011–13

n = 3791

1995

n = 617

2011–13

n = 2121

p interaction SEP*Time

Energy (kJ)

9195 [9063, 9327]

8776 [8579, 8974]***

9549 [9397, 9700]

8669 [8525, 8813]***

9861 [9488, 10,235]

8991 [8790, 9193]***

0.007

Carbohydrate (%E)

45.1 [44.8, 45.5]

44.5 [43.9, 45.2]

45.4 [45.0, 45.8]

43.2 [42.7, 43.7]***

44.6 [43.6, 45.6]

42.5 [41.9, 43.2]***

0.001

Total sugars (%E)

19.9 [19.5, 20.2]

20.0 [19.4, 20.5]

19.7 [19.4, 20.1]

19.2 [18.9, 19.6]

18.8 [17.9, 19.7]

18.3 [17.8, 18.8]

0.34

Protein (%E)

16.9 [16.8, 17.1]

18.3 [17.9, 18.7]

16.7 [16.5, 16.8]

18.4 [18.1, 18.6]

16.3 [15.9, 16.7]

18.3 [17.9, 18.6]

0.17

Fat (%E)

32.1 [31.8, 32.4]

30.8 [30.3, 31.4]

31.2 [30.9, 31.5]

30.7 [30.3, 31.1]

32.0 [31.2, 32.8]

31.3 [30.8, 31.8]

0.19

SFA (%E)

12.5 [12.4, 12.7]

11.9 [11.7, 12.2]

12.2 [12.0, 12.4]

11.4 [11.2, 11.6]

12.4 [12.0, 12.8]

11.4 [11.1, 11.6]

0.35

MUFA (%E)

11.7 [11.5, 11.8]

11.6 [11.4, 11.9]

11.3 [11.2, 11.5]

11.7 [11.5, 11.9]**

11.7 [11.3, 12.1]

12.1 [11.9, 12.3]

0.036

PUFA (%E)

4.9 [4.8, 5.0]

4.5 [4.4, 4.7]***

4.8 [4.7, 4.9]

4.8 [4.7, 4.9]

4.9 [4.7, 5.1]

5.0 [4.9, 5.2]

0.0001

Fiber density (g/1000 kJ)

2.1 [2.0, 2.1]

2.6 [2.6, 2.7]

2.1 [2.1, 2.2]

2.8 [2.7, 2.8]

2.2 [2.1, 2.3]

2.9 [2.8, 3.0]

0.22

 

Probability [95% CI]

n = 3718

n = 2295

n = 2877

n = 3792

n = 483

n = 2122

p interaction

SEP*Time

Fruit (≥ 2 serves/d)

0.49 [0.47, 0.51]

0.44 [0.41, 0.47]

0.52 [0.50, 0.55]

0.46 [0.44, 0.48]

0.57 [0.52, 0.63]

0.53 [0.50, 0.56]

0.68

Vegetables (≥ 4 serves/d)

0.20 [0.19, 0.22]

0.18 [0.15, 0.20]

0.18 [0.16, 0.20]

0.19 [0.17, 0.21]

0.16 [0.12, 0.20]

0.19 [0.17, 0.22]

0.05

 

MEN, mean [95% CI]

Low education

Medium education

High education

 

1995

n = 2172

2011–13

n = 936

1995

n = 2001

2011–13

n = 2017

1995

n = 325

2011–13

n = 944

p interaction

SEP*Time

Energy (kJ)

10,995

[10,781, 11,209]

10,242 [9915, 10,568]

11,240 [11,020, 11,460]

9981 [9771, 10,191]

11,525 [10,961, 12,089]

10,174 [9844, 10,504]

0.09

Carbohydrate (%E)

44.2 [43.7, 44.7]

44.2 [43.3, 45.1]

44.7 [44.2, 45.2]

43.1 [42.5, 43.7]

43.8 [42.5, 45.1]

42.7 [41.8, 43.6]

0.06

Total sugars (%E)

19.5 [19.0, 20.0]

19.3 [18.5, 20.1]

18.9 [18.5, 19.4]

18.8 [18.3, 19.3]

17.8 [16.7, 18.9]

17.4 [16.7, 18.1]

0.97

Protein (%E)

16.8 [16.6, 17.1]

18.2 [17.6, 18.7]

16.6 [16.4, 16.9]

18.1 [17.8, 18.5]

16.4 [15.8, 16.9]

18.2 [17.7, 18.7]

0.58

Fat (%E)

32.1 [31.7, 32.5]

30.8 [30.1, 31.6]

31.3 [30.9, 31.7]

30.3 [29.8, 30.8]

32.1 [31.1, 33.1]

30.8 [30.1, 31.6]

0.88

SFA (%E)

12.6 [12.4, 12.8]

12.0 [11.6, 12.4]

12.4 [12.1, 12.6]

11.4 [11.2, 11.7]

12.4 [11.8, 13.0]

11.2 [10.9, 11.5]

0.22

MUFA (%E)

11.8 [11.6, 12.0]

11.6 [11.3, 12.0]

11.5 [11.3, 11.6]

11.6 [11.4, 11.8]

11.8 [11.4, 12.3]

12.1 [11.7, 12.4]

0.36

PUFA (%E)

4.9 [4.7, 5.0]

4.5 [4.3, 4.7]

4.6 [4.5, 4.7]

4.6 [4.5, 4.8]

5.0 [4.7, 5.3]

4.9 [4.7, 5.1]

0.05

Fiber density (g/1000 kJ)

1.9 [1.9, 2.0]

2.4 [2.4, 2.5]

2.0 [1.9, 2.0]

2.6 [2.5, 2.7]

2.0 [2.0, 2.1]

2.7 [2.6, 2.8]

0.09

 

Probability [95% CI]

n = 1622

n = 936

n = 1485

n = 2017

n = 239

n = 945

p interaction

SEP*Time

Fruit (≥ 2 serves/d)

0.45 [0.42, 0.48]

0.38 [0.34, 0.42]

0.48 [0.45, 0.51]

0.40 [0.37, 0.43]

0.53 [0.45, 0.60]

0.48 [0.43, 0.52]

0.83

Vegetables (≥ 4 serves/d)

0.18 [0.16, 0.20]

0.16 [0.13, 0.19]

0.14 [0.12, 0.16]

0.16 [0.14, 0.18]

0.14 [0.09, 0.20]

0.16 [0.13, 0.19]

0.26

 

WOMEN, mean [95% CI]

Low education

Medium education

High education

 

1995

n = 2703

2011–13

n = 1359

1995

n = 1784

2011–13

n = 1774

1995

n = 292

2011–13

n = 1177

p interaction

SEP*Time

Energy (kJ)

7278 [7151, 7404]

7080 [6867, 7292]

7801 [7617, 7985]

7421 [7239, 7602]

8115 [7778, 8452]

7760 [7527, 7994]

0.55

Carbohydrate (%E)

46.0 [45.6, 46.4]

45.0 [44.1, 45.9]*

46.2 [45.7, 46.8]

43.2 [42.5, 43.9]***

45.6 [44.2, 47.1]

42.4 [41.6, 43.3]***

0.004

Total sugars (%E)

20.3 [18.9, 20.7]

20.6 [19.8, 21.4]

20.6 [20.1, 21.1]

19.7 [19.1, 20.2]

20.1 [18.7, 21.4]

19.3 [18.6, 19.9]

0.09

Protein (%E)

17.0 [16.8, 17.2]

18.4 [17.9, 18.9]

16.7 [16.4, 17.0]

18.7 [18.3, 19.1]

16.1 [15.6, 16.7]

18.4 [17.9, 18.8]

0.10

Fat (%E)

32.1 [31.7, 32.5]

30.9 [30.1, 31.6]

31.1 [30.6, 31.6]

31.1 [30.5, 31.7]

31.7 [30.5, 32.9]

31.7 [31.1, 32.4]

0.05

SFA (%E)

12.5 [12.3, 12.7]

11.8 [11.5, 12.2]

12.0 [11.8, 12.3]

11.4 [11.1, 11.7]

12.4 [11.8, 13.0]

11.5 [11.2, 11.9]

0.88

MUFA (%E)

11.6 [11.4, 11.7]

11.6 [11.3, 12.0]

11.1 [10.9, 11.3]

11.9 [11.6, 12.1]***

11.5 [10.9, 12.0]

12.1 [11.8, 12.5]*

0.031

PUFA (%E)

5.0 [4.9, 5.1]

4.6 [4.4, 4.8]**

4.9 [4.8, 5.1]

5.1 [4.9, 5.3]

4.8 [4.5, 5.1]

5.2 [5.0, 5.4]*

0.0001

Fiber density (g/1000 kJ)

2.2 [2.2, 2.3]

2.8 [2.7, 2.9]

2.3 [2.3, 2.4]

2.9 [2.8, 3.0]

2.4 [2.3, 2.5]

3.0 [2.9, 3.2]

0.87

 

Probability [95%CI]

n = 2096

n = 1359

n = 1392

n = 1775

n = 244

n = 1177

p interaction

SEP*Time

Fruit (≥ 2 serves/d)

0.53 [0.51, 0.56]

0.51 [0.47, 0.54]

0.57 [0.54, 0.60]

0.52 [0.49, 0.55]

0.62 [0.55, 0.69]

0.59 [0.55, 0.62]

0.78

Vegetables (≥ 4 serves/d)

0.23 [0.20, 0.25]

0.19 [0.17, 0.22]

0.22 [0.19, 0.25]

0.22 [0.19, 0.24]

0.18 [0.12, 0.23]

0.23 [0.20, 0.26]

0.09

  1. aAbbreviations: %E % of energy, SEP socioeconomic position
  2. Asterisks indicate significantly different compared to 1995 value *p < 0.05, **p ≤ 0.01, ***p < 0.001
  3. Values represent survey-weighted, covariate adjusted means (or probabilities where indicated) and 95% CI
  4. Linear and logistic regression models were adjusted for age, sex/gender (except in stratified analyses), and smoking. Where results of the overall F test were statistically significant, pairwise comparisons were performed to examine change in intakes over time according to educational level
  5. Low education: less than secondary; Medium education: secondary/diploma/trade; High education: tertiary
  6. Bold data indicates statistically significant differences (p  < 0.05)
Back to article page

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

ISSN: 1479-5868

Contact us