Changes in dietary carbon footprint over ten years relative to individual characteristics and food intake in the Västerbotten Intervention Programme

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 20
• Main Authors: Hjorth, Therese, Huseinovic, Ena, Hallström, Elinor, Strid, Anna, Johansson, Ingegerd, Lindahl, Bernt, Sonesson, Ulf, Winkvist, Anna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 08-01-2020; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/308/174; 692/499; 704/172/4081; Adult; adults; Body Mass Index; Carbon; Carbon dioxide; Carbon Footprint; Dairy Products - analysis; demand; Diet; disease; Earth and Related Environmental Sciences; Eating; Emissions; Energy Intake; environmental-impact; Feeding Behavior; Female; Food; Food intake; future; Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap; Greenhouse gases; greenhouse-gas emissions; health; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Meat; Meat - analysis; Middle Aged; Minced meat; multidisciplinary; nutritional quality; Nutritive Value; Pasta; patterns; Public health; questionnaire; Science; Science & Technology - Other Topics; Science (multidisciplinary); Sweden; Vegetables - chemistry; Women; Sweden
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-56924-8

The objective was to examine 10-year changes in dietary carbon footprint relative to individual characteristics and food intake in the unique longitudinal Västerbotten Intervention Programme, Sweden. Here, 14 591 women and 13 347 men had been followed over time. Food intake was assessed via multiple two study visits 1996–2016, using a 64-item food frequency questionnaire. Greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) related to food intake, expressed as kg carbon dioxide equivalents/1000 kcal and day, were estimated. Participants were classified into GHGE quintiles within sex and 10-year age group strata at both visits. Women and men changing from lowest to highest GHGE quintile exhibited highest body mass index within their quintiles at first visit, and the largest increase in intake of meat, minced meat, chicken, fish and butter and the largest decrease in intake of potatoes, rice and pasta. Women and men changing from highest to lowest GHGE quintile exhibited basically lowest rates of university degree and marriage and highest rates of smoking within their quintiles at first visit. Among these, both sexes reported the largest decrease in intake of meat, minced meat and milk, and the largest increase in intake of snacks and, for women, sweets. More research is needed on how to motivate dietary modifications to reduce climate impact and support public health.