Exploratory Food-Frequency Scores and Self-Reported Asthma in Italian Adults: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study
- 1Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Viale G.B. Morgagni 48, 50134 Florence, Italy
- 2Department of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, Section of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Polytechnic University of the Marche Region, Via Tronto 10/A, 60126 Ancona, Italy
Abstract
Background: Associations between diet and asthma in adults remain uncertain. Objective: To examine associations between two exploratory food-frequency scores and self-reported asthma. Methods: We analysed public-use data from the 2023 Italian Aspects of Daily Life survey. The PRO and ANTI scores summarised selected food frequencies; neither was a validated measure of dietary inflammatory potential. Survey-weighted logistic models were adjusted for age group, sex, education, body mass index, smoking, and household economic resources. Continuous and tertile specifications were fitted separately; an additional model included both continuous scores. Results: Among 33,182 adults with asthma information, weighted prevalence was 4.62% (95% CI 4.37–4.89). The regression sample included 32,000 adults and 1460 asthma cases. In the mutually adjusted model, PRO was not associated with asthma (OR per 10 points 1.004, 95% CI 0.952–1.059), whereas ANTI was inversely associated (OR 0.947, 95% CI 0.907–0.989). ANTI tertile comparisons did not reach conventional statistical significance. Sex-specific and restricted-sample analyses were exploratory. Conclusions: A modest inverse association was observed for the continuous ANTI score, but evidence was sensitive to exposure parameterisation. These cross-sectional findings do not demonstrate reduced asthma risk, respiratory benefit, or an inflammatory mechanism. Replication with validated dietary assessment and clinically characterised asthma is needed.
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BibTeX
@article{chiavarini2026exploratory,
title = {{Exploratory Food-Frequency Scores and Self-Reported Asthma in Italian Adults: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study}},
author = {Manuela Chiavarini and Jacopo Dolcini and Giorgio Firmani and Pamela Barbadoro},
journal = {Nutrients},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/nu18213485},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/21/3485},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Exploratory Food-Frequency Scores and Self-Reported Asthma in Italian Adults: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study
AU - Manuela Chiavarini
AU - Jacopo Dolcini
AU - Giorgio Firmani
AU - Pamela Barbadoro
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Nutrients
DO - 10.3390/nu18213485
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/21/3485
AB - Background: Associations between diet and asthma in adults remain uncertain. Objective: To examine associations between two exploratory food-frequency scores and self-reported asthma. Methods: We analysed public-use data from the 2023 Italian Aspects of Daily Life survey. The PRO and ANTI scores summarised selected food frequencies; neither was a validated measure of dietary inflammatory potential. Survey-weighted logistic models were adjusted for age group, sex, education, body mass index, smoking, and household economic resources. Continuous and tertile specifications were fitted separately; an additional model included both continuous scores. Results: Among 33,182 adults with asthma information, weighted prevalence was 4.62% (95% CI 4.37–4.89). The regression sample included 32,000 adults and 1460 asthma cases. In the mutually adjusted model, PRO was not associated with asthma (OR per 10 points 1.004, 95% CI 0.952–1.059), whereas ANTI was inversely associated (OR 0.947, 95% CI 0.907–0.989). ANTI tertile comparisons did not reach conventional statistical significance. Sex-specific and restricted-sample analyses were exploratory. Conclusions: A modest inverse association was observed for the continuous ANTI score, but evidence was sensitive to exposure parameterisation. These cross-sectional findings do not demonstrate reduced asthma risk, respiratory benefit, or an inflammatory mechanism. Replication with validated dietary assessment and clinically characterised asthma is needed.
SN - 2072-6643
ER -