Nutrition and lifestyles in the Baltic Republics

The aim of the Baltic Nutrition and Health Surveys was to provide detailed information on the food consumption patterns and health behaviours of the population of the Baltic States. During the summer of 1997, cross-sectional surveys were conducted among representative national samples of adults in each country. Interviews with participants included a 24-hour recall of dietary intake, a standardized questionnaire. The surveys showed important variations in dietary patterns and lifestyle behaviours among the Baltic countries, and have highlighted areas where further development and implementation of national nutrition policies and health promotion campaigns are most required. Information from the surveys could also be used as baseline data against which future dietary consumption patterns would be compared.