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Table 2 Characteristics of included studies

From: Does the consumption of fruits and vegetables differ between Eastern and Western European populations? Systematic review of cross-national studies

1st author, year of publication

Name of study

Examined food or antioxidant

Dietary assessment

Participants’ country of origin

Year of data collection

Month of data collection

Sample size

Response rate (%)

Females (%)

Age range or mean (years)

Sampling method

Basis of sample

Quality score* (max:18)

1. DIETARY SURVEYS

              

Kromhout 1989 [22]

Seven Countries Study

Fruits, vegetables

7d record

CEE:

Yugoslavia

1960-64

Jan-May, Sep

150

nd

0

40-59

random

farm/factory workers, academics

9

    

WE:

Finland, Italy, Greece Netherlands

1959-65

Feb-Sep

286

nd

0

40-59

random

village inhabitants, railroad workers

 

Winkler 1992(31]

 

Fruits, vegetables

3d record

CEE:

GDR

1987

Oct-Dec

132

73

0

45-64

random

urban inhabitants

11

    

WE:

FDR

1984-85

Oct-May

424

70

0

45-64

cluster

urban inhabitants

 

Schroll 1996 [23]

SENECA

Fruits, vegetables

Diet history

CEE:

Poland

1993

Jan-Jun

120

51†

61

74-79

random

urban inhabitants

13

    

WE:

Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, UK, Switzerland

1993

Jan-Jun

1237

51†

51

74-79

random

urban inhabitants

 

Karamanos 2002 [24]

 

Fruits, vegetables

Diet history

CEE:

Bulgaria

nd

nd

288

nd

50

35-60

random

urban inhabitants

14

    

WE:

Italy, Greece

nd

nd

1058

nd

54

35-60

random

urban and rural inhabitants

 

Serra-Majem 2003 [25]

WHO-CINDI

Fruits, vegetables

24hr recall

CEE:

Poland

1991-94

nd

4440

nd

50

20-65

random

factory workers

14

    

WE:

Spain

1992

nd

2757

69

nd

6-75

random

general population

 

Petkeviciene 2009 [26]

NORBAGREEN

Fruits, vegetables

FFQ

CEE:

Lithuania

2002

Apr

99

68

57

19-75

random

general population

15

    

WE:

Finland

2002

Jan-May

125

91

nd

25-64

random

general population

 

Lixandru 2010 [32]

 

Fruits, vegetables

FFQ

CEE:

Romania

2005

Apr-Nov

40

nd

30

63

convenience

diabetic patients

12

    

WE:

Belgium

2005

Apr-Nov

30

nd

20

62

convenience

diabetic patients

 

Paalanen 2011 [33]

 

Fruits, vegetables

FFQ

CEE:

Russia

1992-07

Mar-May

2672

45-92

57

25-64

random

general population

16

    

WE:

Finland

1992-02

Mar-May

4365

67-81

53

25-64

random

general population

 

Crispim 2011 [34]

EFCOVAL

Fruits, vegetables

24hr recall

CEE:

Czech Republic

2007-08

Oct-Apr

118

nd

51

45-65

convenience

healthy individuals

16

    

WE:

Belgium, France, Norway Netherlands,

2007-08

Apr-Jul, Oct-Apr

482

nd

50

45-65

convenience

healthy individuals

 

El Ansari 2012 [35]

CNSHS

Fruits, vegetables

FFQ

CEE:

Bulgaria, Poland

2005

nd

1143

95

70

21

convenience

university students

14

    

WE:

Denmark, Germany

2005

nd

1236

85-92

53

21

convenience

university students

 

2. HEALTH BEHAVIOUR SURVEYS

              

Wardle 1997 [36]

EHBS

Fruits

na

CEE:

Poland, Hungary, GDR

1989-92

nd

2293

90-100

51

22

convenience

university students

13

    

WE:

Austria, Belgium, FDR, UK Denmark, Finland, Spain, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland

1989-92

nd

14192

90-100

56

21

convenience

university students

 

Prattala 2007 [37]

Finbalt Health Monitor project

Fruits

na

CEE:

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania

1998-02

Apr-May

15740

62-80

57

20-64

random

general population

16

    

WE:

Finland

1998-02

Apr-May

9354

65-70

53

20-64

random

general population

 

Prattala 2009 [38]

EUROTHIENE

Vegetables

na

CEE:

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania

2000-04

nd

14219

60-73

58

20-64

random

general population

15

    

WE:

Finland, Denmark, Spain, Germany, France, Italy

1998-04

nd

86924

61-87

51

20-64

random

general population

 

Hall 2009 [39]

WHS

Fruits, vegetables

na

CEE:

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine

2002-03

nd

22475

69-100

53

18-99

random

general population

15

    

WE:

Spain

2002-03

nd

5448

86

60

18-99

random

general population

 

European Commission 2013 [40]

EHIS

Fruits, vegetables

na

CEE:

Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia

2006-09

nd

85921

56-89

53

15-99

random

general population

na

    

WE:

Belgium, Greece, Spain, France

2006-09

nd

62700

60-96

55

15-99

random

general population

 

Burisch 2014 [41]

ECCO-EpiCom

Fruits, Vegetables

na

CEE:

Croatia, Czech Rep, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Moldova, Romania, Russia

2010

Jan-Dec

249

76†

42

15+

convenience

IBD patients (at diagnosis)

16

    

WE:

Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK

2010

Jan-Dec

933

76†

46

15+

convenience

IBD patients (at diagnosis)

 

3. ANTIOXIDANT STUDIES

              

Kardinaal 1993 [29]

EURAMIC

Beta-carotene in adipose tissue

na

CEE:

Russia

1991-92

nd

200

79-97

0

51

convenience

hospital patients, healthy controls

16

    

WE:

Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, UK, Spain, Switzerland

1991-92

nd

1180

50-98

0

54

convenience

hospital patients, healthy controls

 

Kristenson 1997 [42]

LiVicordia

Beta-carotene in plasma

na

CEE:

Lithuania

1993-94

Oct-Jun

100

83

0

50

random

urban inhabitants

14

    

WE:

Sweden

1993-94

Oct-Jun

95

83

0

50

random

urban inhabitants

 

Bobak 1998 [27]

 

Beta-carotene in plasma

na

CEE:

Czech Republic

1992

Sep-Nov

136

70

49

40-59

random

urban inhabitants

14

    

WE:

UK

1991-93

nd

358

73

31

40-59

random

civil servants

 

Bobak 1999 [43]

 

Beta-carotene in plasma

na

CEE:

Czech Republic

1995

Apr-Jun

188

70

0

45-64

random

general population

17

    

WE:

Germany

1995

Apr-Jun

153

70

0

45-64

random

general population

 

Miere 2007 [44]

 

Vitamin C intake

24h recall

CEE:

Romania

nd

nd

312

nd

87

21

convenience

university students

8

    

WE:

Spain

nd

nd

918

nd

58

22

convenience

university students

 

Woodside 2013 [45]

EUREYE

Vitamin C and Beta-carotene in plasma

na

CEE:

Estonia

2000-03

nd

833

58.6

66

65+

random

general population

15

    

WE:

Norway, UK, France, Italy, Greece, Spain

2000-03

nd

3300

36-56

52

65+

random

general population

 
  1. WHO-CINDI, World Health Organization Countrywide Integrated Non-communicable Disease Intervention; NORBAGREE, Consumption of vegetables and fruits and other dietary health indicator foods in the Nordic and Baltic countries; EFCOVAL, European Food Consumption Validation; CNSHS, Cross National Student Health Survey; EHBS, European Health and Behaviour Survey; WHS, World Health Survey; EHIS, European Health Interview Survey; EURAMIC, European Community Multicentre Study on Antioxidants, Myocardial Infarction and Breast Cancer; LiVicordia, Linkoping-Vilnius Coronary Disease Risk Assessment Study; ECCO-EpiCom, European Crohn’s and Colitis Organization’s Epidemiological Committee study; FDR, Federal Republic of Germany; GDR, German Democratic Republic; CEE: Central and Eastern Europe (or Former Soviet Union); WE, Western Europe; FFQ, Food frequency questionnaire; na, not applicable; nd, no data available; IBD, Inflammatory bowel disease
  2. *Based on evaluation using a modified STROBE checklist; †Overall response rate