scholarly journals The State of Diet Quality Globally: A Systematic Assessment of Worldwide Dietary Patterns Using the Global Dietary Database (P10-045-19)

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghan O'Hearn ◽  
Fumiaki Imamura ◽  
Frederick Cudhea ◽  
Jennifer Onopa ◽  
Julia Reedy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Intake ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Dietary Factors ◽  
Healthy Diet ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Diet Patterns ◽  
The World ◽  
Diet Pattern ◽  
Unhealthy Diet

Abstract Objectives Healthy diet patterns are a global priority to reduce undernutrition and chronic disease. Prior work suggests that healthy and unhealthy diet patterns are distributed and changing independently across the world. Our objective was to characterize current healthy and unhealthy diet patterns by age, sex, education, residence and country using the 2015 Global Dietary Database (GDD). Methods The GDD 2015 evaluates dietary intake based on 1137 surveys-years of systematically identified national and subnational individual-level diet surveys worldwide from 185 countries (97.5% of the global population). Dietary intake estimates and their uncertainty were generated for 15 dietary factors using a Bayesian hierarchical model including the individual-level data, country-level food availability data, and other covariates. Two types of diet patterns were assessed: one reflecting greater intake of 11 healthy dietary items; and the other, lower intake of 4 unhealthy dietary items. Mean intake of each dietary factor was divided into quintiles. Quintiles were assigned an ordinal score and scores were summed to generate each pattern, scaled from 0–100. Higher scores correspond to healthier diets for each age-sex-country-year-education-residence stratum. Results In 2015, the global mean score was 48 [95% UI: 39–58] for the healthy diet pattern (Fig 1) and 51 [32–69] for the unhealthy diet pattern (Fig 2). Healthy vs unhealthy diet pattern scores across the 41,040 global strata annually were not strongly interrelated (r < -0.4). Western (54 [45–63]) and Latin American (63 [53–72]) regions had highest scores for the healthy diet pattern but lowest for the unhealthy diet pattern (37 [19, 54]; 27 [13, 42], respectively). Asia (57 [40–76]) and Sub-Saharan Africa (57 [34–76]) had the highest unhealthy diet pattern scores but lowest healthy diet pattern scores (42 [33, 52]; 41 [30, 53], respectively). Healthy diet pattern scores were generally higher in urban areas and among more educated strata, while unhealthy diet pattern scores were higher in rural areas and in less educated strata. Conclusions These novel data provide quantitative estimates of the specific heterogeneity in diet patterns across the world, providing the best estimates to date to inform policies and priorities for reducing the health and economic burdens of poor diet quality. Funding Sources Gates Foundation. Supporting Tables, Images and/or Graphs

scholarly journals Long-term Diet Quality and Gut Microbiome Functionality: A Prospective, Shotgun Metagenomic Study among Urban Chinese Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Danxia Yu ◽  
Yaohua Yang ◽  
Jirong Long ◽  
Wanghong Xu ◽  
Qiuyin Cai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diet Quality ◽  
Gut Microbiome ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Gene Families ◽  
Diet Group ◽  
Healthy Diet ◽  
Chinese Adults ◽  
Α Diversity ◽  
Unhealthy Diet

ABSTRACT Background Diet is known to affect human gut microbiome composition; yet, how diet affects gut microbiome functionality remains unclear. Objective We compared the diversity and abundance/presence of fecal microbiome metabolic pathways among individuals according to their long-term diet quality. Methods In 2 longitudinal cohorts, we assessed participants’ usual diets via repeated surveys during 1996–2011 and collected a stool sample in 2015–2018. Participants who maintained a healthy or unhealthy diet (i.e., stayed in the highest or lowest quintile of a healthy diet score throughout follow-up) were selected. Participants were excluded if they reported a history of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or hypertension; had diarrhea or constipation in the last 7 d; or used antibiotics in the last 6 mo before stool collection. Functional profiling of shotgun metagenomics was performed using HUMAnN2. Associations of dietary variables and 420 microbial metabolic pathways were evaluated via multivariable-adjusted linear or logistic regression models. Results We included 144 adults (mean age = 64 y; 55% female); 66 had an unhealthy diet and 78 maintained a healthy diet. The healthy diet group had higher Shannon α-diversity indexes of microbial gene families and metabolic pathways (both P &lt; 0.02), whereas β-diversity, as evaluated by Bray-Curtis distance, did not differ between groups (both P &gt; 0.50). At P &lt; 0.01 [false discovery rate (FDR) &lt;0.15], the healthy diet group showed enriched pathways for vitamin and carrier biosynthesis (e.g., tetrahydrofolate, acetyl-CoA, and l-methionine) and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and increased degradation (or reduced biosynthesis) of certain sugars [e.g., cytidine monophosphate (CMP)-legionaminate, deoxythymidine diphosphate (dTDP)-l-rhamnose, and sucrose], nucleotides, 4-aminobutanoate, methylglyoxal, sulfate, and aromatic compounds (e.g., catechol and toluene). Meanwhile, several food groups were associated with the CMP-legionaminate biosynthesis pathway at FDR &lt;0.05. Conclusions In a small longitudinal study of generally healthy, older Chinese adults, we found long-term healthy eating was associated with increased α-diversity of microbial gene families and metabolic pathways and altered symbiotic functions relevant to human nutrition and health.

Abstract P223: Cardiometabolic Disease Costs Associated With an Unhealthy Diet in the United States

Circulation ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 137 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thiago Jardim ◽  
Dariush Mozaffarian ◽  
Shafika Abrahams-Gessel ◽  
Stephen Sy ◽  
Yujin Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Burden ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
The United States ◽  
Dietary Factors ◽  
Omega 3 ◽  
Sweetened Beverages ◽  
Disease Costs ◽  
The Us ◽  
Diet Pattern ◽  
Unhealthy Diet

Introduction: Despite the clear association between poor diet and cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) and the overall economic burden of such conditions, the costs of an unhealthy diet pattern have not been assessed for the US population. Aim: Estimate the costs of CMD related to suboptimal intakes of 10 specific dietary factors in the US adult population. Methods: A validated microsimulation model (CVD PREDICT) was populated by weighted sampling (with replacement) of individuals aged 35–85y from the 2009-2010 and 2011-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), in order to create an US representative model population. Consumption of 10 foods/nutrients associated with CMD were assessed: fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds, whole grains, unprocessed red meats, processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, polyunsaturated fats, seafood omega-3 fats, and sodium. Cardiovascular disease progression and events were simulated and annual healthcare costs estimations were calculated. The model compared reported consumption of the 10 food/nutrients in the NHANES surveys to a hypothetical situation in which the consumption level of these nutrients were optimal. Each food/nutrient was assessed individually and combined. Estimates were stratified by gender, age, race and insurance. Results: The 2012 annual cost of an unhealthy diet was $USD 280 (Acute $USD 236, Chronic $USD 40 and Drug $USD 4) per adult. Individually the food/nutrient consumed below optimal levels that imposed the highest CMD economic burden was nuts/seeds ($USD 75) while non-optimal red meat consumption was associated with the lowest cost per person ($USD 3). Unhealthy diet costs of CMD by gender, age group, race and insurance are provided in table 1. The annual unhealthy diet cost of CMD in the US was $USD 44.9bn in 2012. Acute care costs represent 84.3% of this total ($USD 37.9bn). Conclusions: Suboptimal diet accounts for substantial CMD costs in the US, highlighting the need for timely implementation of diet policies to address these burdens.

Abstract P368: Western and Prudent Diet Patterns are Associated With Risk of Developing Non-cancer Related Venous Thromboembolism

Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 141 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
So Yun Yi ◽  
Lyn M Steffen ◽  
Pamela L Lutsey ◽  
Mary Cushman ◽  
Aaron R Folsom
Keyword(s):  
Venous Thromboembolism ◽  
Dietary Intake ◽  
Proportional Hazards ◽  
Western Diet ◽  
Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities ◽  
Diet Patterns ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Hazard Ratios ◽  
Diet Pattern ◽  
Prudent Diet

Background: Results are inconsistent from published studies about the association between dietary intake and risk of incident venous thromboembolism (VTE). Therefore we proposed to study the association between diet patterns and incident non-cancer related VTE. We hypothesized that a Western diet pattern is positively associated, and a Prudent diet pattern is inversely associated with incident non-cancer related VTE. Methods: In the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, 14,873 middle-aged men and women were followed for incident VTE over an average of 22 years between 1987 and 2015. VTE cases were ascertained via annual phone calls and community hospital surveillance. Hospital records were reviewed to validate cases. Dietary intake was assessed by food frequency questionnaire at baseline and year 6. The Western and the Prudent diet pattern scores were derived by principal components analysis. In separate proportional hazards regression analyses, associations of quintiles of the Western and the Prudent diet pattern scores with risk of developing non-cancer related VTE were examined, adjusting for demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, body mass index, and diabetes. Results: Hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of incident non-cancer related VTE (n=634) across quintiles of the Prudent diet pattern score were 1.0 (reference), 0.99 (0.78-1.26), 0.79 (0.61-1.02), 0.66 (0.51-0.87), and 0.81 (0.61-1.07), p trend =0.01 (see Figure). Across quintiles of the Western diet pattern score, hazard ratios (95% CI) of incident non-cancer related VTE were 1.0 (reference), 1.14 (0.88-1.47), 1.20 (0.92-1.56), 1.10 (0.82-1.47), and 1.63 (1.17-2.28), p trend =0.02. Conclusions: In this community-based cohort, a Prudent diet pattern was associated with a lower risk of developing non-cancer related VTE, whereas higher risk was associated with a Western diet pattern.

scholarly journals The International Diet-Health Index: a novel tool to evaluate diet quality for cardiometabolic health across countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. e002120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jifan Wang ◽  
William A Masters ◽  
Yan Bai ◽  
Dariush Mozaffarian ◽  
Elena N Naumova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Intake ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Dietary Factors ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Cardiometabolic Disease ◽  
Cardiometabolic Health ◽  
Dietary Intakes ◽  
Health Index ◽  
Cardiometabolic Diseases

IntroductionDiet is a major modifiable risk factor for cardiometabolic disease; however, interpretable measures capturing impacts of overall diet on health that can be easily used by policymakers at the global/national levels are not readily available.MethodsWe developed the International Diet-Health Index (IDHI) to measure health impacts of dietary intake across 186 countries in 2010, using age-specific and sex-specific data on country-level dietary intake, effects of dietary factors on cardiometabolic diseases and country-specific cardiometabolic disease profiles. The index encompasses the impact of 11 foods/nutrients on 12 cardiometabolic diseases, the mediation of health effects of specific dietary intakes through blood pressure and body mass index and background disease prevalence in each country–age–sex group. We decomposed the index into IDHIbeneficial for risk-reducing factors, and IDHIadverse for risk-increasing factors. The flexible functional form of the IDHI allows inclusion of additional risk factors and diseases as data become available.ResultsBy sex, women experienced smaller detrimental cardiometabolic effects of diet than men: (females IDHIadverse range: −0.480 (5th percentile, 95th percentile: −0.932, –0.300) to −0.314 (−0.543, –0.213); males IDHIadverse range: (−0.617 (−1.054, –0.384) to −0.346 (−0.624, –0.222)). By age, middle-aged adults had highest IDHIbeneficial (females: 0.392 (0.235, 0.763); males: 0.415 (0.243, 0.949)) and younger adults had most extreme IDHIadverse (females: −0.480 (−0.932, –0.300); males: −0.617 (−1.054, –0.384)). Regionally, Central Latin America had the lowest IDHIoverall (−0.466 (−0.892, –0.159)), while Southeast Asia had the highest IDHIoverall (0.272 (−0.224, 0.903)). IDHIoverall was highest in low-income countries and lowest in upper middle-income countries (−0.039 (−0.317, 0.227) and −0.146 (−0.605, 0.303), respectively). Among 186 countries, Honduras had lowest IDHIoverall (−0.721 (−0.916, –0.207)), while Malaysia had highest IDHIoverall (0.904 (0.435, 1.190)).ConclusionIDHI encompasses dietary intakes, health effects and country disease profiles into a single index, allowing policymakers a useful means of assessing/comparing health impacts of diet quality between populations.

scholarly journals A Novel Diet-Health Index Reveals Worsening Trends and Widening Disparities in the Health Impacts of Diet in the United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 101-101
Author(s):  
Yan Bai ◽  
Mengxi Du ◽  
JIfan Wang ◽  
Elena Naumova ◽  
Fang Fang Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diet Quality ◽  
Metabolic Diseases ◽  
Total Mortality ◽  
The United States ◽  
Healthy Eating Index ◽  
Dietary Factors ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Health Index ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Funding Sources

Abstract Objectives Poor diets are associated with poor health outcomes, but existing metrics of diet quality do not directly include the health effects of diet. Using a novel international diet-health index (IDHI), we can measure diet-related health impacts from multiple dietary factors simultaneously, given a population's health status and most prevalent causes of death and disability. Methods We obtained individual-level data on intake of 12 dietary factors and exposure to 2 metabolic risk factors from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2003–2014, and computed the IDHI for 12 cardio-metabolic diseases and 15 cancers in the U.S. by sex, race, education, and income. We then compared IDHI to a modified Alternative Healthy Eating Index (mAHEI) using 10 of the 12 dietary factors and validated the indices using the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) linked dataset for total mortality through 2015. Results IDHI declined from −0.314 (95% CI: −0.323, −0.305) in 2003/04 to −0.325 (−0.334, −0.316) in 2013/14 (P = 0.007 for trend). Non-Hispanic Black Americans have persistently lower IDHI than other groups, and disparities in IDHI have widened over time by level of income (P = 0.004 for interaction), and education (P = 0.047 for interaction). IDHI was more closely correlated with the mAHEI at higher levels of diet quality, and both indices were strongly associated with total mortality. Conclusions The IDHI is a valid tool for measuring diet-related health impacts in the context of a population's most prevalent diseases, potentially offering tailored guidance regarding how best to reduce diet-related health disparities. Funding Sources No funding.

scholarly journals Metabolomic markers of healthy dietary patterns in US postmenopausal women

2019 ◽  
Vol 109 (5) ◽  
pp. 1439-1451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjorie L McCullough ◽  
Maret L Maliniak ◽  
Victoria L Stevens ◽  
Brian D Carter ◽  
Rebecca A Hodge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Postmenopausal Women ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Dietary Patterns ◽  
Partial Correlation ◽  
Healthy Eating Index ◽  
Healthy Diet ◽  
Diet Patterns ◽  
Diet Pattern ◽  
Risk Of Cancer ◽  
Diet Score

ABSTRACT Background Healthy diet patterns are associated with lower risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. Metabolomics has the potential to expand dietary biomarker development to include dietary patterns, which may provide a complement or alternative to self-reported diet. Objective This study examined the correlation of serum untargeted metabolomic markers with 4 diet pattern scores—the alternate Mediterranean diet score (aMED), alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI)-2010, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, and the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015—and used multivariate methods to identify discriminatory metabolites for each pattern. Methods Among 1367 US postmenopausal women with serum metabolomic data in the Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort, we conducted partial correlation analysis, adjusted for demographic and lifestyle variables, to examine cross-sectional correlations between serum metabolomic markers and healthy diet pattern scores. In a randomly selected “training” set (50%), we conducted orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis to identify metabolites that discriminated the top from bottom diet score quintiles. Combinations of metabolites with a variable importance in projection (VIP) score ≥2.5 were tested for predictability in the “testing” set based on the use of receiver operating characteristic curves. Results Out of 1186 metabolites, 32 unique metabolites were considered discriminatory based on a VIP score ≥2.5 in the training dataset with some overlap across scores (aMED = 16; AHEI = 17; DASH = 13; HEI = 12). Spearman partial correlation analyses, applying a cut-point (|r| ≥ 0.15) and Bonferroni correction (P < 1.05 × 10−5), identified similar key metabolites. The top 5 metabolites for each pattern mostly distinguished high compared with low scores; 4 of the 5 (fish-derived) metabolites were the same for aMED and AHEI, 2 of which were identified for HEI; 4 DASH metabolites were unique. Conclusions Metabolomic methods that used a split-sample approach identified potential biomarkers for 4 healthy diet patterns. Similar metabolites across scores reflect fish consumption in healthy dietary patterns. These findings should be replicated in independent populations.

scholarly journals Do Changes in the Local Food Environment Within New Residential Developments Influence the Diets of Residents? Longitudinal Results from RESIDE

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (18) ◽  
pp. 6778
Author(s):  
Alexia Bivoltsis ◽  
Gina Trapp ◽  
Matthew Knuiman ◽  
Paula Hooper ◽  
Gina Ambrosini
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Intake ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Food Environment ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Relative Proportion ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Healthy Diet ◽  
Food Outlets ◽  
Residential Developments ◽  
Diet Score

Background: There is limited longitudinal evidence supporting a link between food outlet locations and dietary outcomes to inform policy and urban planning. This study examined how longitudinal changes in the local food environment within new residential developments influenced changes in adult dietary intake. Methods: Adult participant data (n = 3223 person-observations) were sourced from the RESIDential Environments (RESIDE) project across three time points between 2004 to 2012 in Perth, Western Australia. Fixed effects regression estimated the relationship between change in spatial exposure to the local food environment, individual behaviours and perceptions of the local food environment with dietary outcome variables (healthy diet score, unhealthy diet score, diet quality score and fruit/vegetable intake). Results: An increase over time in the percentage of healthy food outlets around the home was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) associated with an increase in healthy diet scores and an increase in the distance from home to the nearest café restaurant was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) associated with an increase in diet quality scores. Conclusions: Modifying the local food environment by increasing the relative proportion of healthy food outlets around the home may support healthier dietary intake.

scholarly journals Global Dietary Intake in Relation to the EAT Lancet Commission's Scientific Targets; Results from the Global Dietary Database 2015

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 895-895
Author(s):  
Julia Reedy ◽  
Frederick Cudhea ◽  
Victoria Miller ◽  
Jianyi Zhang ◽  
Peilin Shi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Intake ◽  
Whole Grains ◽  
Dietary Factors ◽  
Target Range ◽  
Dietary Intakes ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Added Sugars ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Red Meats

Abstract Objectives In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission proposed global dietary targets for healthy diets and sustainable food production. Actual dietary intakes worldwide, based on individual-level data, in relation to these EAT-Lancet targets are uncertain. Methods The Global Dietary Database 2015 (GDD) collected and analyzed individual-level dietary intake data for 55 dietary factors from 1144 nationally- or sub-nationally-representative surveys. A Bayesian hierarchical model combined stratum-specific, individual-level dietary intakes with survey-specific characteristics and time-varying country-level covariates (GDP, United Nations FAO Food Balance Sheets) to estimate dietary means and uncertainty jointly stratified by country, year, age group (20 groups, birth to 95 + years), sex, urban/rural residence, and education level for 1990–2015. Dietary intakes of EAT-Lancet factors (added sugars, beans & legumes, dairy, eggs, fruits, non-starchy vegetables, nuts & seeds, red meats, seafood, starchy vegetables, and whole grains) were assessed, adjusted to 2500 kcal/day, in relation to EAT-Lancet targets. Results Among 7 world regions in 2015, none met EAT-Lancet targets for fruits (mean 60.6% of target, range 33.0–74.2%), non-starchy vegetables (58.1%, 44.0–71.0), beans & legumes (40.9%, 24.3–91.1), nuts & seeds, (15.0%, 5.6–21.5), or whole grains (12.8%, 5.5–29.5). All regions exceeded the maximum target for red meats (476.0%, 149.3–729.2) and added sugars (210.1%, 176.4–282.3). By population subgroups, highest educated adults globally were the closest to targets for seafood (108.5%), dairy (80.4%), and fruit (73.1%), but far exceeded targets for starchy vegetables (238.4%) and added sugars (233.4%). Conversely, rural adults were closets to the target for eggs (95.5%) but furthest from the targets for whole grains (8.0%) and nuts & seeds (13.7%). Findings by country, other foods, other population subgroups and across time will be presented in more detail. Conclusions These novel findings demonstrate significant gaps and relevant heterogeneity between current global dietary patterns and proposed EAT-Lancet targets, with important implications for priorities and policies to improve human and planetary health. Funding Sources Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Diet quality and physical activity in relation to childhood obesity

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruopeng An
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Childhood Obesity ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Healthy Eating Index ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Healthy Diet ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Unhealthy Diet ◽  
Physically Inactive

Abstract Objective: Healthy lifestyles such as being physically active and eating a healthy diet help reduce the childhood obesity risk. However, population-level studies on the relationship between lifestyles and childhood obesity typically focus on either physical activity or diet but seldom both. This study examined physical activity and diet quality in relation to obesity in a nationally representative sample of U.S. children and adolescents. Methods: The study sample of 2818 children 6–17 years old came from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003–2006 waves. A healthy eating index (HEI)-2010 was constructed based on two nonconsecutive 24-h dietary recalls. Participants at or above the 60th percentile of the HEI-2010 score were classified as consuming a healthy diet. Participants engaging in at least 60 min of moderate-vigorous physical activity daily measured by accelerometer were classified as being physically active. Adjusted average marginal effect of diet quality and physical activity on obesity was calculated based on estimates from logistic regressions. Results: Compared with those consuming a healthy diet who are physically active, the estimated probabilities for overweight and obesity were 19.03 (95% confidence interval: 11.31, 26.74) and 15.84 (10.48, 21.21) percentage points higher among children consuming an unhealthy diet and who are physically inactive, 16.53 (7.58, 25.48) and 13.48 (5.68, 21.29) percentage points higher among children consuming a healthy diet but who are physically inactive and 3.22 (−3.43, 9.88) and 3.10 (−3.08, 9.29) percentage points higher among children consuming an unhealthy diet but physically active, respectively. Conclusion: Healthy habit formation at an early age is essential in obesity prevention.

Christianity in the Twentieth Century

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Stanley
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Racial Identity ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Central Importance ◽  
Regional Survey ◽  
History Of Christianity ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Different Parts

This book charts the transformation of one of the world's great religions during an age marked by world wars, genocide, nationalism, decolonization, and powerful ideological currents, many of them hostile to Christianity. The book traces how Christianity evolved from a religion defined by the culture and politics of Europe to the expanding polycentric and multicultural faith it is today—one whose growing popular support is strongest in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, China, and other parts of Asia. The book sheds critical light on themes of central importance for understanding the global contours of modern Christianity, illustrating each one with contrasting case studies, usually taken from different parts of the world. Unlike other books on world Christianity, this one is not a regional survey or chronological narrative, nor does it focus on theology or ecclesiastical institutions. The book provides a history of Christianity as a popular faith experienced and lived by its adherents, telling a compelling and multifaceted story of Christendom's fortunes in Europe, North America, and across the rest of the globe. It demonstrates how Christianity has had less to fear from the onslaughts of secularism than from the readiness of Christians themselves to accommodate their faith to ideologies that privilege racial identity or radical individualism.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document