Agric. Econ. - Czech, 2026, 72(5):302-313 | DOI: 10.17221/77/2024-AGRICECON

Eating 'green' and being 'green': A cross-sectional study among Italian adults through Mediterranean diet adherenceOriginal Paper

Fjona Zeneli ORCID..., Alessia Cavaliere ORCID..., Lucia Baldi ORCID..., Elisa De Marchi ORCID..., Alessandro Banterle ORCID...
Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

This study examines the factors influencing adherence to the Mediterranean diet from a socioeconomic perspective, focusing on Italy as a representative Mediterranean country. The observed decline in adherence to this diet in favour of Western dietary patterns highlights the need for a deeper understanding of the factors influencing this trend. Specifically, the analysis investigates sociodemographic and economic variables that may influence adherence to the Mediterranean diet. On the other hand, it assesses the role of individual characteristics related to environmental concerns and pro-environmental behaviours, considering that the Mediterranean diet is widely recognised not only as a healthy but also a sustainable dietary model. The study utilises secondary data from the Italian National Institute of Statistics, based on a representative sample of 34 151 individuals, employing an ordinal logistic regression model. The findings reveal that sociodemographic factors – such as gender, age, education, economic status, family structure, and region of residence – significantly and positively affect adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Regarding environmental concerns and behaviours, the study finds a strong association between environmental awareness and higher adherence. Therefore, policy interventions and educational campaigns aimed at promoting the Mediterranean diet should adopt a holistic approach that includes the environmental dimension.

Keywords: environmental attitude; environmental concerns and behaviours; sustainable diet adherence; ordinal logistic model

Received: February 27, 2024; Revised: December 2, 2025; Accepted: December 9, 2025; Published: May 29, 2026  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Zeneli F, Cavaliere A, Baldi L, De Marchi E, Banterle A. Eating 'green' and being 'green': A cross-sectional study among Italian adults through Mediterranean diet adherence. Agricultural Economics. 2026;72(5):302-313. doi: 10.17221/77/2024-AGRICECON.
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    Supplementary files:

    Download file77-2024_AE_ESM.pdf

    File size: 258.81 kB

    References

    1. Abdullah M.M.H., Jones J.P.H., Jones P.J.H. (2015): Economic benefits of the Mediterranean-style diet consumption in Canada and the United States. Food & Nutrition Research, 59: 27541. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    2. Bach-Faig A., Berry E.M., Lairon D., Reguant J., Trichopoulou A., Dernini S., Medina F.X., Battino M., Belahsen R., Miranda G., Serra-Majem L. (2011): Mediterranean diet pyramid today. Science and cultural updates. Public Health Nutrition, 14: 2274-2284. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    3. Buckland G., Bach A., Serra-Majem L. (2008): Obesity and the Mediterranean diet: A systematic review of observational and intervention studies. Obesity Reviews, 9: 582-593. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    4. Cavaliere A., De Marchi E., Banterle A. (2018): Exploring the adherence to the Mediterranean diet and its relationship with individual lifestyle: The role of healthy behaviors, pro-environmental behaviors, income, and education. Nutrients, 10: 141. Go to original source...
    5. Cruz S.M., Manata B. (2020): Measurement of environmental concern: A review and analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 11: 363. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    6. Da Silva R., Bach-Faig A., Raidó Quintana B., Buckland G., Vaz De Almeida M.D., Serra-Majem L. (2009): Worldwide variation of adherence to the Mediterranean diet, in 1961-1965 and 2000-2003. Public Health Nutrition, 12: 1676-1684. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    7. Dernini S., Berry E.M. (2015): Mediterranean diet: From a healthy diet to a sustainable dietary pattern. Frontiers in Nutrition, 2: 15. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    8. Dernini S., Berry E.M., Serra-Majem L., La Vecchia C., Capone R., Medina F.X., Aranceta-Bartrina J., Belahsen R., Burlingame B., Calabrese G., Corella D., Donini L.M., Lairon D., Meybeck A., Pekcan A.G., Piscopo S., Yngve A., Trichopoulou A. (2017): Med Diet 4.0: The Mediterranean diet with four sustainable benefits. Public Health Nutrition, 20: 1322-1330. Go to original source...
    9. Dinu M., Pagliai G., Casini A., Sofi F. (2018): Mediterranean diet and multiple health outcomes: An umbrella review of meta-analyses of observational studies and randomised trials. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 72: 30-43. Go to original source...
    10. Edwards-Jones G. (2010): Does eating local food reduce the environmental impact of food production and enhance consumer health? Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 69: 582-591. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    11. FAO, CIHEAM (2015): Mediterranean Food Consumption Patterns: Diet, Environment, Society, Economy and Health. Rome, FAO; Bari, CIHEAM. Available at https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/ea291e6e-deb4-4402-8f1a-138c32d23dbb/content (accessed April 20, 2025).
    12. Grosso G., Marventano S., Buscemi S., Scuderi A., Matalone M., Platania A., Giorgianni G., Rametta S., Nolfo F., Galvano F., Mistretta A. (2013): Factors associated with adherence to the Mediterranean diet among adolescents living in Sicily, Southern Italy. Nutrients, 5: 4908-4923. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    13. ISTAT (2021): Multipurpose Statistical Survey of Italian Households (micro data). Available at https://www.istat.it/en/ (accessed March 15, 2023).
    14. Kaiser F.G., Byrka K., Hartig T. (2010): Reviving Campbell's paradigm for attitude research. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 14: 351-367. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    15. Keys A., Fidanza F., Scardi V., Bergami G., Keys M.H., di Lorenzo F. (1954): Studies on serum cholesterol and other characteristics of clinically healthy men in Naples. A.M.A. Archives of Internal Medicine, 93: 328-336. Go to original source...
    16. Klein A.S., Nockur L., Reese G. (2022): Prosociality from the perspective of environmental psychology. Current Opinion in Psychology, 44: 182-187. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    17. Kyriacou A., Evans J.M.M., Economides N., Kyriacou A. (2015): Adherence to the Mediterranean diet by the Greek and Cypriot population: A systematic review. The European Journal of Public Health, 25: 1012-1018. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    18. Long J.S., Freese J. (2006): Regression Models for Categorical Dependent Variables Using Stata. 2nd Ed. Texas, Stata Press: 589.
    19. Marques-Vidal P., Waeber G., Vollenweider P., Bochud M., Stringhini S., Guessous I. (2015): Sociodemographic and behavioural determinants of a healthy diet in Switzerland. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 67: 87-95. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    20. Martinez-Lacoba R., Pardo-Garcia I., Amo-Saus E., Escribano-Sotos F. (2018): Mediterranean diet and health outcomes: A systematic meta-review. European Journal of Public Health, 28: 955-961. Go to original source...
    21. McKeown P., Dunn R.A. (2021): A 'life-style choice' or a philosophical belief?: The argument for veganism and vegetarianism to be a protected philosophical belief and the position in England and Wales. Liverpool Law Review, 42: 207-241. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    22. Ruggiero E., Di Castelnuovo A., Costanzo S., Persichillo M., Bracone F., Cerletti C., Donati M.B., de Gaetano G., Iacoviello L., Bonaccio M. (2019): Socioeconomic and psychosocial determinants of adherence to the Mediterranean diet in a general adult Italian population. European Journal of Public Health, 29: 328-335. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    23. Serra-Majem L., Tomaino L., Dernini S., Berry E.M., Lairon D., Ngo De La Cruz J., Bach-Faig A., Donini L.M., Medina F.-X., Belahsen R., Piscopo S., Capone R., Aranceta-Bartrina J., La Vecchia C., Trichopoulou A. (2020): Updating the Mediterranean diet pyramid towards sustainability: Focus on environmental concerns. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17: 8758. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    24. Seufert V., Ramankutty N., Foley J.A. (2012): Comparing the yields of organic and conventional agriculture. Nature, 485: 229-232. Go to original source...
    25. Štreimikienė D., Lekavičius V., Stankūnienė G., Pažėraitė A. (2022): Renewable energy acceptance by households: Evidence from Lithuania. Sustainability, 14: 8370. Go to original source...
    26. Tong T.Y.N., Imamura F., Monsivais P., Brage S., Griffin S.J., Wareham N.J., Forouhi N.G. (2018): Dietary cost associated with adherence to the Mediterranean diet, and its variation by socio-economic factors in the UK Fenland Study. British Journal of Nutrition, 119: 685-694. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    27. Thøgersen J., Ölander F. (2002): Human values and the emergence of a sustainable consumption pattern: A panel study. Journal of Economic Psychology, 23: 605-630. Go to original source...
    28. Trichopoulou A., Vasilopoulou E. (2000): Mediterranean diet and longevity. British Journal Of Nutrition, 84: S205-S209. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    29. Trichopoulou A., Costacou T., Bamia C., Trichopoulos D. (2003): Adherence to a Mediterranean diet and survival in a Greek population. The New England Journal of Medicine, 348: 2599-2608. Go to original source...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0.), which permits non-comercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content