What differentiates the choice of certain foods? An exploratory analysis of food choice patterns among couples from the dyadic NutriAct Family Cohort in relation to social and health-associated determinants

Food choices determine the intake of nutrients and energy for bodily processes and play a vital role for the health and wellbeing of individuals. However, the choice of what and how an individual eats is shaped largely by socialisation within the family of origin as well as later socialisation contexts, e.g., through biographical transitions or romantic relationships. Nonetheless, food choices have been analysed primarily as largely individualised practices. We performed principal component analyses on self-reported data on food consumption from 803 individuals (M = 64 years old; 50 % female) nested in 402 couples recruited within the NutriAct Family Study to explore food choice patterns. We exploratively derived four distinct patterns representing (1) plant-based, (2) processed animal-based, (3) low-fat, and (4) high-sugar sweet tooth food choices, which were loosely correlated (0.04 ≤ |r| ≤ 0.16). On an inter-couple level we found gender differences with men adhering more to the processed animal-based diet (t(756) = 10.17, p < 0.001, d = 0.72) and women more to the plant-based (t(800) = −3.70, p < 0.001, d = −0.26) and low-fat patterns (t(800) = −2.65, p = 0.008, d = −0.19). Additionally, as the number of retirees within a couple increased, so did the similarity between the partners in their overall food choice (F(2799) = 8.15, p < 0.001, η = 0.02). The couple level explained more variance in the food choice patterns than the individual level across all four patterns (0.62 ≤ ICC1 ≤ 0.78). We thus conclude that socialisation in couples plays a central role in shaping food choices, more so than prevalent gender roles or individual practices.