SHBC1305

TAN.Y.W.B¹, LAU.J.H¹, PV.ASHARANI¹, P.R.KUMARASAN¹, F.D.S.KUMAR¹, Y.Y.LEE¹, C.WHITTON², P.WANG¹, S.B.SHAFIE¹, S.H.S.CHANG¹, A.JEYAGURUNATHAN¹, B.Y.CHUA¹, E.B.ABDIN¹, C.F.SUM³, E.S.LEE⁴, M.SUBRAMANIAM¹

Institute of Mental Health¹, Curtin University², Khoo Teck Puat Hospital³, NHG Polyclinics⁴

Chronic conditions remain the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. However, information remains scant in nutrition research when establishing the role of dietary patterns to chronic conditions within a multi-ethnic population. The present study examined the dietary patterns and identified the sociodemographic factors associated with Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) scores within a multi-ethnic population with and without chronic conditions.

Information on sociodemographic, dietary patterns and chronic conditions were collected from a sample of 2,895 Singapore residents via computer assisted personal interviewing. Linear regressions identified associations between variables with total DASH score.

Persons with multimorbidity reported the highest mean DASH score of 19.8 (±5.2). Overall, older age groups [35– 49 years (B = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.23 – 2.33, p <0.001), 50–64 years (B = 2.86, 95% CI: 2.24 – 3.47, p <0.001) and 65 years and above (B = 3.45, 95% CI: 2.73 – 4.17, p <0.001)], Indian (B = 2.54, 95% CI: 2.09 – 2.98, p <0.001) ethnicity reported better dietary patterns, while males (B = -1.50, 95% CI: -1.87 – -1.14, p <0.001) reported poorer diet patterns.

Overall, poor DASH scores of persons without chronic conditions highlights the need for strengthening in primary prevention. While ongoing efforts are yielding encouraging outcomes for persons with multimorbidity, the present study suggests scope to refine efforts before less-than-ideal dietary practices escalates into the development of chronic diseases.