Improving adherence to the Mediterranean Diet through a bio-psycho social and sociotype approach

In spite of the very many papers indicating that the Mediterranean Diet (MD) is one of the most healthy and sustainable eating patterns, adherence to it diet is diminishing in most Mediterranean countries.
In the study published by Vilarneau et al. the adherence to the MD over a 50-year period (1961–1965 to 2004–2011) in 169 countries declined in most countries (overall from 2.86 to 2.03 according to the Mediterranean Adequacy Index) in particular the Mediterranean Europe, Southern Mediterranean, and Central Europe countries. These regions have undergone significant cultural, social and political changes, which may have influenced the dietary transition and changes in food habits. Moreover, different studies reported an association between adherence to the MD and socioeconomic factors, with greater wealth being associated with increased adherence to the MD.
There is therefore a necessity to “revitalize” the MD and to return to a model that is considered a reference for all nutritional guidelines throughout the world.
The term sociotype describes the reciprocal relationship of an individual with the social environment during life. The sociotype is a theoretical ecological framework to emphasize the bio-psycho-social and environmental factors involved in coping with life stresses (e.g., food insecurity) and patient self-management for chronic illness such as diabesity. The sociotype is a framework for helping in coping with different life challenges: it has been used for food security (5) and also during the recent COVID shutdown. All three domains are involved to different extent in these situations depending on the person and the issues involved. The three domains of the sociotype refer in this paper to: Individual, Relationships/Social environment, and Institutional Context.