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Table 1 Descriptive characteristics of a representative sample of Lebanese older adults (n = 525)a

From: A Lebanese dietary pattern promotes better diet quality among older adults: findings from a national cross-sectional study

 

Total (n = 525)

Demographic characteristics

 

Age (yrs) Mean ± SD

66.4 ± 7.89

 50 + −64.9

263 (50.1)

  ≥ 65

262 (49.9)

Sex

 

 Male

268 (51)

 Female

257 (49)

Education

 

 Illiterate

65 (12.4)

 Less than high school

204 (38.9 %)

 High school or Diploma

190 (36.2 %)

 University level

66 (12.6)

Marital status

 

 Married

354 (67.4)

 Single/Divorced/Separated/Widowed

171 (32.6)

Crowding index

 

  < 1 person/room

297 (57)

  ≥ 1 person/room

224 (43)

Lifestyle characteristics

 

Physical activity

 

 Low intensity (less than 600 METs)

237 (45.5)

 Moderate intensity (at least 600 METs)

191 (36.7)

 High intensity (at least 3000 METs)

93 (17.9)

Smoking

 

 Never/Past smoker

319 (60.8)

 Current smoker

206 (39.2)

Alcohol intake

 

 No alcohol

304 (57.9)

 Occasionally

135 (25.7)

 1–4 times per week

54 (10.3)

 5 or more per week

32 (6.1)

Presence of chronic disease b

422 (80.4)

Family history of chronic diseasesc

 

 No

95 (18.1)

 Yes

429 (81.7)

Anthropometric measurements

 

Weight (kg)

76.42 ± 14.97

Height (cm)

161.61 ± 9.45

BMI (kg/m2) (Mean ± SD)

29.29 ± 5.48

BMI classification

 

 Underweight (<18.5 kg/m2)

8 (1.5)

 Normal weight (18.5 ≤ BMI < 25 kg/m2)

91 (17.3)

 Overweight (25 ≤ BMI < 30 kg/m2)

213 (40.6)

 Obese (≥30 kg/m2)

213 (40.6)

Waist circumference (cm) d (Mean ± SD)

98.47 ± 13.21

 Normal (Females < 80 cm, Males <94 cm)

112 (21.3)

 Elevated (Females ≥ 80 cm, Males ≥94 cm)

413 (78.7)

Percentage body fat (%)e (Mean ± SD)

36.02 ± 7.80

 Normal (Females < 32 % & Males < 25 %)

53 (10.3)

 High (Females ≥ 32 % & Males ≥ 25 %)

461 (89.7)

Diet Quality Indices (DQIs)

 

Alternative healthy Eating Index (AHEI) (Score range:0–100)

52.61 ± 10.95

 Low (≤50)

220 (41.9)

 High (>50)

305 (58.1)

alternate Mediterranean Diet Score (aMED) (Score Range 0–9)

4.33 ± 1.76

 Low (≤4.5)

266 (50.9)

 High (>4.5)

257 (49.1)

DASH-style diet score (Score range: 8–40)

25.28 ± 4.29

 Low (≤24)

237 (45.2)

 High (>24)

287 (54.8)

Lebanese Mediterranean Diet Index (LMD) (Score Range 9–27)

17.72 ± 3.24

 Low (≤18.0)

304 (57.9)

 High (>18.0)

221 (42.1)

Dietary Diversity Score (DDS) (Score Range 0–5)

4.51 ± 0.75

 Low (≤2.5)

13 (2.5)

 High (>2.5)

512 (97.5)

Breakfast frequency per week f (Mean ± SD)

5.76 ± 2.39

 Low (≤4 times/week)

116 (22.2)

 High (>4 times/week)

407 (77.8)

  1. aCategorical variables are presented as n (%) and continuous variables as mean ± SD
  2. bPresence of chronic disease was defined as having at least one chronic disease, such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease
  3. cFamily history of chronic diseases was defined as having a family member with at least one chronic disease, such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease
  4. dElevated waist circumference was defined according to the IDF waist circumference threshold for obesity (Zimmet et al. [25])
  5. e Sex specific percentage body fat cut off points were used to identify subjects with high or normal body fat (Lohman et al. [27])
  6. f For the breakfast frequency measure, scores were grouped into two categories low and high corresponding to values below and above the median respectively