ABSTRACT

Background and aims:
In Aotearoa-New Zealand (NZ) approximately 8000 people are admitted with a first-time acute coronary syndrome (ACS) annually. In this cross-sectional analysis, we describe the dietary patterns of patients who present with their first ACS and examine their associations with socio-demographic and clinical characteristics.

Methods and results:
The Multi-Ethnic NZ study of Acute Coronary Syndromes (MENZACS) is a multi-centre, longitudinal cohort study of patients with first-time ACS. At study enrolment, patients (n = 1914) completed a validated short food frequency questionnaire asking about dietary intakes in the 12 months preceding their ACS. Three dietary patterns were identified using Principal Component Analysis. The Convenience pattern was characterised by high intakes of take-aways, and participants with higher scores were on average younger, more likely to be male, live in the most deprived areas, and current smokers (all p for trend<0.001). The Harvest pattern was characterised by high intakes of vegetables and fruit, and participants with higher scores were on average older, less likely to be male, more likely to live in the least deprived areas, and have a history of hypertension, and less likely to be current smokers (all p for trend<0.05). The Comfort pattern was characterised by high intakes of potatoes, biscuits, tea/coffee, meat, and jam, and participants with higher scores were on average older and more likely to be male (both p for trend<0.05).

Conclusion:
Three distinct dietary patterns were found in patients presenting with first-time ACS in NZ and these patterns were associated with various socio-demographic and clinical factors.

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