Factors influencing the dietary response to a nutritional intervention promoting the Mediterranean food pattern in healthy women from the Quebec City metropolitan area.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of sociodemographic characteristics and baseline food habits on the dietary response to a nutritional intervention promoting the Mediterranean food pattern and maintenance of dietary modifications in 73 healthy women. The 12-week nutritional intervention in free-living conditions consisted of two group courses and seven individual sessions with a dietitian. A follow-up visit was performed 12 weeks after the end of the intervention (week 24). A Mediterranean dietary score was derived from a food frequency questionnaire, administered at 0, 6, 12 and 24 weeks. Marital status, socioeconomic level, educational level and household size did not seem to influence the dietary response, whereas women without children followed more closely dietary advice than women with children (OR, 3.6; 95% CI, 1.3-10.0). Planning food purchases in function of weekly discounts was also associated with better dietary response to the intervention (OR, 3.3; 95% CI, 1.3-8.8). Nutritional intervention promoting the Mediterranean food pattern was effective in modifying food habits of healthy women. The fact of having children or not and food purchase habits seem to influence the response to a nutritional intervention promoting the Mediterranean food pattern.