Food Consumption Patterns in the Seven Countries Study

Abstract

At the end of the 1950s the Seven Countries Study was designed to investigate the relation between diet and cardiovascular diseases. Sixteen cohorts were selected in: Finland, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, the United States and Yugoslavia. During the 1960s food consumption data were collected in random samples of these cohorts using the record method, and data were coded into a standardised form. The average daily consumption per person per cohort was calculated for 16 food groups. Large differences were observed in food consumption patterns between the different cohorts. These differences have diminished during the past 25 years, but the relative position of the cohorts in the distribution of different foods has been maintained. This makes future research into the relation between diet and diseases at population level possible.

Key Words:

• dietary survey
• food consumption patterns
• record method.