Patterns of meat and vegetable consumption among community-dwelling adults aged 18 years and older in China

Xiaojing Deng¹Hui Cheng¹Wenjun Wang¹Yalin Hong¹Xin Yuan²Huiqing Xu³Yunting Xu³Guofeng Ao³Jian Xu^1*Bian Ye Ping^1*Qing Ye³

• ¹Geriatric Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
• ²Jiangsu University School of Medicine, Zhenjiang, China
• ³Nanjing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, China

ABSTARACT Background Meat and vegetable consumption were each vital for maintaining human health condition. Periodic surveillance and assessment of population-level meat and vegetable consumption are critically important for tailored healthy eating intervention. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the consumption patterns of meat and vegetable among community-dwelling adults in regional China in 2023. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the first year of post-COVID-19 pandemic in Nanjing Municipality of China. Participants were those residents aged 18 years or above and randomly selected from the whole municipality. The recommendations recently released by China Nutrition Society in 2022 were used to assess participants’ meat and vegetable consumption level. Logistic regression models were introduced to identify potential influencing factors of meat and vegetable consumption. Results Among the 60945 participants analyzed, the medians of meat and vegetable consumption were 700.0 g/wk (interquartile range =375.0, 1100) and 200.0 g/d (interquartile range =100.0, 300.0), respectively. Moreover, 13.7% (95%CI=13.4, 13.9), 18.1% (95%CI=17.8, 18.5), and 68.2% (95%CI=67.8, 68.6) of participants consumed meat under, within, and beyond the recommended level, separately, whereas 71.1% (95%CI=70.7, 71.4) and 28.9% (95%CI=28.6, 29.3) consumed vegetable under and reaching recommended level, respectively. Selected socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle and behaviors, and chronic conditions were associated with meat and vegetable consumption. Conclusions A large proportion of community-dwelling adults consumed meat exceeding the recommended level, whereas a small proportion consumed vegetable reaching the recommendation in regional China in 2023. Moreover, disparities of meat and vegetable consumption existed in socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle and behaviors, and selected chronic conditions. However, no causality could be inferred due to the nature of cross-sectional study. For future tailored population-level interventions of healthy eating of meat and vegetable, particular attention shall be paid to participants’ socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle and behaviors, and specific chronic conditions.