hassan eini zinab

 Given the impact of high intake of sugar-sweetened beverages on type 2 diabetes, intervention to reduce their consumption can be a top priority for any health system. Thus, the purpose of the present study is to simulate the impact of policy options related to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) on the prevalence and mortality of type 2 diabetes in Iranian men and women.

 A discrete event simulation (DES) model was used to predict the effect of several policy options on the prevalence and death from type 2 diabetes in Azar Cohort Databases. Population age- and sex-specific prevalence and incidence rate of diagnosed diabetes were derived from the national health data. The Preventable Risk Integrated Model (PRIME) model was used for coding the input parameters of simulation using R and Python software.

 The prevalence and mortality rate of type 2 diabetes under the scenario of reduced consumption of SSBs indicated that the highest and the lowest prevalence and mortality rates of type 2 diabetes for men and women were related to no policy condition and replacing SSBs with healthy drinks, like water, respectively. Also, the maximum “number of deaths postponed/ prevented” from type 2 diabetes was related to replacing SSBs with water (n=2015), and an integration of reformulation and applying 10% tax on SSBs (n=1872), respectively.

 Simulating the effect of different policy options on reducing the consumption of SSBs showed “replacing of SSBs with water” as the most effective policy option in Iranian setting.

Mental and attitudinal patterns represent pivotal determinants influencing a couple's childbearing preferences and behaviors. This study employs Q methodology to discern prevalent mental patterns within people of Isfahan city regarding childbearing intentions. Q methodology, designed to unveil individuals' perspectives and mental frameworks. In this study, a set of 75 statements was derived from in-depth interviews with 30 participants which encompassing both single and married participants, ensuring maximum variation in perspectives. Subsequently, another 48 participants were asked to rate the Q statements in a normal distribution on a scale of -7 to +7. In the ultimate analysis, four distinct common mental patterns emerged within the surveyed society, comprising economic-oriented fertility mental patterns, welfare-oriented fertility mental patterns, pro-natalist mental patterns, and anti-natalist mental patterns. These patterns provide valuable insights for policymakers and planners to design more effective and acceptable childbearing policies. This research is an initial exploratory study in this field and more research is needed to apply obtained typology in larger surveys.

In this research, we present a model of the physician-patient relationship in contemporary Iran by analyzing extant models of the physician-patient relationship.Research data was collected through interviews with physicians, patients, medical students, and healthcare professionals. We also conducted a document analysis of laws, development plans, and legislation of the health sector after the Iranian revolution of 1979. The document analysis allowed us to examine the lawmaking process and its cultivation in modern times. To prevent potential bias, we analyzed the data based on multi-grounded theory. It was validated using the triangulation method.We reviewed the literature on physician-patient relationships in Iran. Emanuel, Emanuel, and Ozar’s theories served as the basic models for theorization. Our findings are categorized as paternalistic and commercial relationships between physicians and patients in Iran. In the context of a paternalistic relationship, we examined how medical students internalize the paternal model within the educational system. Discussed are the conduct of professors, the lack of health ethics instruction, and the academic hierarchy. These are institutionalized as a paternal physician-patient relationship. The paternal model is implemented with patients through the physician habitus, which consists of patients’ ignorance, non-communication, and an obtuse manner of speech. In addition to the paternal culture, economic factors play a significant role in the physician-patient relationship, as demonstrated by the privatization plans and tariffs examined. The nearly 40-year process of privatizing healthcare through legislation and regulation has made medicine a lucrative profession. The surge of inductive demand is a point of intersection between financial profit and moral well-being. In addition, the use of physician disagreements over tariffs as a pretext to increase salaries is another issue that calls medical ethics into question.The combination of these two cultural and economic patterns is producing a new model of the physician-patient relationship in Iran, termed the “invasive medicine model.” In this relationship, the physician assumes the role of a controlling, dominant father over the patient. The patient participates minimally in the medical procedure. Additionally, the physician is a salesperson in a competitive health market to promote health products. Patients are not only excluded from the medical process but also confronted with an intrusive healthcare market. The reason for using the term “invasive,” comparable to invasive medical procedures, is the similarity between invading the patient’s body and mind

Although Iran has achieved stillbirth target of Every Newborn Action Plan (≤12 stillbirths per 1000 total births by 2030) at national level, there are still notable contextual inequalities (spatial and socioeconomic) in stillbirth. The purpose of this study is to explain the inequality in stillbirth, using the intersectionality approach that McGibbon proposes in the field of the right to access health care. We used the Iranian Maternal and Neonatal Network (IMAN) for the period of 2013-2020. The indicators extracted from this study showed that mothers who experience several disadvantages at the same time (like non-Iranian mothers who gave birth in the fifth geographic region of Iran (the east), or uninsured mothers over 45 years), experience stillbirth more frequently compared to their counterparts. We came to this conclusion that the intersection of three areas of social determinants of health (maternal education level, type of hospital, type of insurance), the isms (nationality and maternal age) and geographic or spatial contexts (urban-rural residency, the geographical area of birthplace) can create synergy with each other and cause some groups of mothers who belong to the most vulnerable strata of the society to be oppressed more. The main policy suggestion of this research is to reduce stillbirth by considering the intersection of inequalities instead of individual axes of inequality.

Following the rapid fertility decline in Iran, a turnaround toward pro-natalist population policies were accepted by the government in 2010s. Subsequently, for the realization of these policies, the law of "Rejuvenation of the Population and Support of the Family" was announced in November 2021. In the first steps of implementation of this law, it is now an appropriate time for population studies to investigate the ways that people and audiences evaluate challenges that implementation of this law faces as well as its strengths and weaknesses. Monitoring population policies and programs can assess their prospective success and prove useful in revising and correcting programs and designing more accurate and effective interventions. Based on the Grounded Theory approach, this paper collected data from a field study in Isfahan city using in-depth interviews with 30 men and women. After open, axical and selective coding, fifteen main categories were extracted from the data and the core category of "inadequate incentive to motivate reluctant people" was identified. The results show that childbearing as a private issue, insufficient and worthless incentives, ambiguity in policy-making from approval to implementation and temporary and periodical policies has led to institutional and non-institutional distrust. These factors have made it difficult and complicated to align the will of people with policies. The success of pro-natalist policies depends on the mutual trust between people and the government.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis accompanied by multiple psychological consequences (including fear of COVID-19) and threatens the food security status of millions of people. This study aimed to examine the association between fear of COVID-19 and food insecurity, mediated by perceived stress.

This cross-sectional study was conducted among 2871 Iranian participants (18-80 years), recruited through the Social Media during the COVID-19 epidemic. The demographic and socio-economic information questionnaire, Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), COVID-19 fear scale (FCV-19S), Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14) and Perceived Social Support Questionnaire (MSPSS) were used in data gathering. Descriptive and analytical analyses were done using SPSS 22.0 and Amos 22.0 was used for structural equation modeling (SES).

Food insecurity has significant positive direct and indirect (mediated by perceived stress) correlations with fear of COVID-19 (P < 0.05). It was also shown that perceived social support could negatively relate to fear of COVID-19 through the pathways of food security status or perceived stress (P < 0.05). Among women, the presence of a child under 5 had a significant direct association with fear of COVID-19 (P < 0.05).

Food insecurity was associated with more perceived fear of COVID-19 among the studied population. The crisis caused by COVID-19 highlights the need to increase social resilience through developing and implementing appropriate strategies to prevent and mitigate social costs (whether physical, psychological, or nutritional).

Socioeconomic factors are major determinants of health and food consumption. The aim of the present study was assessing the changes in energy and different food groups consumption related to the socioeconomic status of Iranian households.

In this repeated cross-sectional study, 717432 households data from the Households Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) conducted yearly by the Statistical Centre of Iran (SCI) from 1991 to 2017 was used. The food consumption outcome was modeled as a function of household head age, household head age-squared, socioeconomic variables, household size, place of residence, and household`s head sex. Principle Component Analysis (PCA) was used to extract a socioeconomic status variable based on the educational, occupational, and income status of households.  A cross-classified random effects modeling (CCREM) specifications of Hierarchical Age-Period-Cohort (HAPC) models was used in the present study.

In the present study, by moving to the higher quartiles of SES had higher calorie intake increased. There was a positive relationship between “Vegetables”, “Fruits”, “Dairy”, “Meat, Poultry, Fish, Eggs, Legumes, and Nuts” and “Fats, Oils, Sugars, and Sweets” with socioeconomic statues category. In the case of “Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta”, there was a reverse relationship, and lower SES quartile consumed a higher amount of this food group.

Lower income, education, and occupational status in lower SES quartile groups lead to lower calorie consumption and higher consumption of  “Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta" food group, which had lower energy cost compared to the other food groups.

The development of policies for increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is highlighted as a priority in developing countries. This review study aimed to present the available policy options for increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in the populations.

To collect relevant English publications, five electronic databases, including PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Embase, ProQuest, and Ovid from 2000 until 1st January 2021 were searched. The national or population based programs aimed to increase fruit and/or vegetable intake were included. Four types of policy options were recognized, including food promotion, school and workplace food environment regulations, agriculture, food production, supply and storage, and fiscal policies.

Increasing consumer’s knowledge has been more effective in increasing fruit and vegetable consumption among populations. However, most of the interventions in the workplace and school emphasize increasing knowledge and changing access to healthy food.

In general, the evaluation of these policies has been done in the short term and has had a moderate impact on changing dietary behavior. Agricultural and food supply chain policies are currently less researched. Finally, recent evidence suggests that multi-component interventions are more effective than one-component interventions.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have caused environmental effects. Food production is one of the sources of GHGs. This study aimed to suggest dietary scenarios for decreasing GHG emissions.

GHG emissions in the target population of Urmia city, Northwest Iran, were investigated using a modeling approach. Three dietary scenarios were modeled and analyzed to evaluate and compare GHG emissions. The objectives and decision variables of the three scenarios included minimizing the carbon footprint and intake of food items, respectively. In the first scenario, the amount of energy intake was equal to baseline energy intake. The second scenario maintained the same energy intake constraint as the first scenario and made further alterations by considering the number of serving sizes suggested by the food pyramid for each food group. The third scenario was mostly based on this model by accounting for dietary reference intake for macronutrients, micronutrients, and energy.

There was about 72% and 55.67% reduction in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2 eq) production in the first and second scenarios rather than the baseline diet of 4072.10 g CO2 eq, respectively. In the final scenario, the CO2 eq emissions were less than half of the baseline diet.

The study showed that a healthy diet with a higher proportion of vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, and dairy, and a lower share of red and white meat, egg, grains, fat and oil, and sweets can reduce CO2 eq emissions.

In 1994, the mandatory iodized salt consumption became a law in Iran, and since then, almost all people have routinely and effectively received iodine. This study aimed to compare the iodine sufficiency among Iranian students in 1996 and 2017. We used Iran’s health ministry national data on urinary iodine among 8- to 10-year-old students. A total 13,389 and 2,917 urine samples were examined for monitoring in 2017 and 1996, respectively. The median urinary iodine (MUI) excretion of samples was 18.26 µg/dL in 2017 and 20.5 µg/dL in 1996. Based on the urinary iodine index (< 10 μg/dL), 14.53% and 19.61% of students had iodine deficiency (ID) in 1996 and 2017, respectively, which mild, moderate, and severe insufficiency was 8.83%, 2.3%, and 3.43% in 1996 and 14.86%, 3.72% and 1.01% in 2017. So, the main achievement of this national program was the reduction in severe ID rate during these years (3.43% vs. 1.01%).

Community Readiness Improvement for Tackling Childhood Obesity (CRITCO) study has been developed based on the community readiness model (CRM) to improve the readiness of targeted local communities from two diverse socioeconomic districts of Tehran for tackling childhood obesity (CO) of late primary school children (10 - 12 years of age).

This study aimed to describe the rationale and process of developing the fourth phase of CRITCO study by developing an intervention package.

The readiness level data was used to analyze strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of four intervention sites to guide proper strategies in partnership with key community members. Then, the action plan was developed as a living document to guide a 6-month quasi-experimental community-based intervention around the six dimensions of CRM. Finally, the community engagement process, outcome, and evaluation process were explained.

The current report described the action plan and strategy development of the CRITCO study. Expectedly, this study can provide valuable information to guide the public health policymakers in planning and executing relevant interventions.

Food insecurity has negative impacts on health, including the function of the immune system. The association between food insecurity and COVID-19 infection rates has not been fully understood. This study aimed to examine whether food-insecure households are more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection.

This online cross-sectional study was conducted on 2,871 Iranian adults (31 provinces), from August to September 2020. Demographic and socio-economic information was collected using a questionnaire. The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) was used for assessing household food insecurity. The data analysis was performed by SPSS.22, using Chi-square test, ANOVA test, and Multinomial Logistic Regression Model.

The findings indicated that healthcare personnel were at higher risk of COVID-19 (CI = 1.90, 7.05; OR = 3.66; P < 0.001). It was also shown that HFIAS scores were significantly higher among infected people compared to non-infected (CI = 1.00, 1.05; OR = 1.03; P < 0.05). Women were at lower risk of infection compared to men (CI = 0.41, 0.87; OR = 0.60; P < 0.05).

Based on the results, in addition to long-term policies to improve food security, policymakers are recommended to implement short-term policies to reduce the vulnerability of the community to COVID-19 virus.

The aim of the present study was assessing the changes in Iranian household food basket. The Households Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) data of 717,432 of Iranian households from 1991 to 2017 were used in this repeated cross‑sectional study.

A cross‑classified random‑effects modeling (CCREM) specifications of hierarchical age‑period‑cohort (HAPC) in two models, one without controlling for the effects of key individual characteristics, namely socioeconomic status; household size; place; and household head sex, and another one with controlling for the effect of mentioned variables, was used in the present study.

The present study showed that the equivalent to an adult male daily consumption of “total calorie” (P value = 0.0001) and “fats, oils, sugars, and sweets” (P value = 0.0002) had an increasing trend from 1991 to 2004 and a decreasing trend from 2005 to 2017 among Iranian households. The daily consumption of “bread, cereal, rice, and pasta” (P value = 0.0001) had a decreasing and “fruits” (P value = 0.0002) had a rising trend during periods. After an increasing trend for the “meat, poultry, fish, eggs, legumes, and nuts” (P value = 0.0002) and “vegetable” (P value=<0.0001) by 2004, there was a decreasing trend from 2004 to 2017, but the share of them in the total calorie consumption increased. The “dairy” (P value = 0.0002) consumption had a decreasing trend in recent years.

Iranian household food basket, during these years, had significant changes that some of them (increase in the share of the vegetables and fruits in the total calorie intake) are positive and some of them are negative (decrease in the consumption of dairy).

The objective of the current study was to investigate associations between food and nutrition literacy (FNLIT) and eating behaviors of elementary school children in Tehran, Iran.

In this cross-sectional study, 803 students aged 10–12 years were participated from 44 primary schools in Tehran, Iran. A valid, reliable self-administered questionnaire was used to investigate participants’ food and nutrition literacy. A research-made questionnaire was used to assess eating behaviors of the students. Furthermore, the multinomial adjusted odds ratios of food and nutrition literacy for eating behaviors were analyzed.

Food and nutrition literacy cognitive domain included understanding food and nutrition information and nutritional health knowledge. Food and nutrition literacy skill domain included functional, interactive, critical food and nutrition literacy, food choice and food label literacy. High levels of food and nutrition literacy scores in the cognitive domain were negatively associated to irregular breakfast intakes compared to everyday eating breakfast (1–2 times a week, OR = 0.32, CI = 0.17–0.60), irregular lunch intakes compared to everyday eating lunch (never/1–2 times a week, OR = 0.40, CI = 0.17–0.93; 3–6 times a week, OR = 0.45, CI = 0.25–0.80) and irregular dinner intakes compared to everyday eating dinner (never/1–2 times a week, OR = 0.32, CI = 0.17–0.68). High food and nutrition literacy scores in the cognitive domain were attributed to never eating sausage/hamburger (OR = 2.20, CI = 1.01–4.83) and eating salty snacks 3–4 times a week (OR = 2.58, CI = 1.09–6.13). The FNLIT scores in the skill domain were negatively associated to irregular breakfast intakes compared to everyday eating breakfast (3-6 times a week, OR = 0.33, CI = 0.13–0.78). Food and nutrition literacy scores in the skill domain were positively associated to never eating sweet snacks (OR = 4.19,
CI = 1.39–12.62).

The current manuscript highlights the necessity of continuous improvements in health education curriculum of schools in Iran, particularly highlighting the importance of greater attention needs to practical and skill-based lessons rather than theoretical lessens. Further studies with long-term follow-up plans are needed to understand associations between food and nutrition literacy and eating behaviors more comprehensively.

The 24-hour urine sodium (Na) test is the gold standard method for measuring salt intake in community studies. This study aimed to compare the results of a 24-hour urine Na test with those obtained from the salt taste sensitivity test (STST) in order to validate the STST as a possible substitute for the 24-hour urine Na test.

Both tests were simultaneously performed on 30 individuals. The results were compared using correlation models.

STST results in the tolerance threshold had a strong and positive correlation with the results of the 24-hour urine Na (r=0.93, P<0.001). In addition, the distance between the tolerance threshold and the recognition threshold scores was strongly correlated with the results of 24-hour urine Na (r=0.830, P<0.001). Finally, there was no significant correlation between recognition threshold scores and 24-hour urine Na (r=0.087, P=0.64).

In general, the STST showed a promising potential to be replaced with the 24-hour urine Na test in community studies.

In this research, the fertility transition has been analyzed for 25 years involving multi-variables. The 25 years from 1987 to 2011 are divided into five periods, and the birth history of women has been rebuilt using the Luther method for women aged 15 to 64 years old in two percent raw data of censuses conducted in the years 2006 and 2011. To calculate the fertility rate based on age and other covariates, we have used Poisson Regression andSchoumaker's proposed method. Results show that employment and educational attainment had the most significant effect on reducing the age-specific fertility rates and, in turn, total fertility rate. Employed and highly educated women in 2002-2006 had total fertility rates equal to 1.6 and 1.5, and from 2007 through 2011, the total fertility rate reached 1.43 and 1.45, respectively. In 2006, among Employed and highly educated women, age groups of 25-30 years and 25-34 years had taken over as the peak fertility age groups, respectively. Based on the 2011 census, those peak rates tilted to the age group of 25-39 and 30-39 years, respectively. Migration had a marginal but significant effect on the dependent variable.

Food and nutrition literacy (FNL) is an emerging concept that emphasizes not only on personal knowledge, but food and nutrition skills about. This study aimed to develop and validate a food and nutrition literacy assessment tool (FNLAT) for youth and high‑school graduates in Iran.

The study protocol included the following steps: First, FNL components for Iranian high‑school graduates and youth were identified through literature review and interviews with experts. Delphi method was used in order to achieve consensus about FNL components. Then, the questionnaire items were generated, and its content and face validity were assessed. Construct validity of the questionnaire was evaluated through applying principal component analysis (PCA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) in the next step. Finally, reliability of the FNLAT was assessed by calculating Cronbach’s Alpha and evaluating test‑retest reliability.

A 104‑item questionnaire was developed. S‑CVI was ≥90 which confirmed content validity of the questionnaire. PCA suggested that it was constructed of 6 factors, one in knowledge domain (food and nutrition knowledge) and five in skill domain (functional skills, interactive skills, advocacy, critical analysis of information, and food label reading skills). On the basis of CFA, the fit indices of the model had acceptable fit and confirmed construct validity of the FNLAT (X2 /df = 1.58, RMSEA = 0.041; P = 1.00, RMR = 0.034, GFI = 0.79). The values of Cronbach’s Alpha and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) confirmed internal consistency and time stability of the FNLAT and its subscales.

The developed FNLAT is a valid and reliable tool to assess FNL in Iranian late adolescents and youth.

This study was carried out to design and validate a questionnaire to measure the majority of factors influencing food choices among adults in Iran.

A sequential exploratory mixed‑method approach was applied to develop the initial item pool of the Food Choice Determinants Questionnaire (FCDQ) starting with a qualitative study to explore the food choice dimensions and its components. Designing the initial questionnaire using these dimensions and the 36‑item Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) was then performed. The face, content, and construct validity were also assessed. The construct validity of the questionnaire was assessed using the exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Cronbach’s alpha was applied for each main theme to examine the internal consistency.

After content and face validity process, a 60‑item FCDQ was developed with total items’ content validity index (CVI) of 0.69 indicating a reasonable level. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for each of the six constructs in the scale have shown satisfactory internal consistency.

This instrument is valid and reliable to measure food choice determinants in adults and could be applied to design interventions aiming to better food choice

The childhood obesity epidemic is one of the most serious global health challenges, and many relevant policies have been designed and implemented. Regarding health equity policy-making, it is important to adopt proper interventional strategies, including childhood obesity policies. The purpose of this study is to assess compliance with the WHO Ending Childhood Obesity (ECHO), and the Iran-Ending Childhood Obesity (IRAN-ECHO) program draft in terms of Urban Health Equity Indicators (UHEIs) in Iran.

This is a descriptive study, using a directed quantitative content analysis approach to analyze the ECHO report and IRAN-ECHO program draft, based on Iranian UHEI. The UHEI consist of 52 indicators in 5 domains. The frequency of each code in the ECHO report and IRAN-ECHO draft was calculated and analyzed.

In total, 148 and 84 phrases or words in ECHO and IRAN-ECHO were encoded with UHEI concepts. The results showed that the physical activity indicator was the most frequent among indicators in both ECHO (n = 48, 32.43%) and IRAN-ECHO (n = 41, 48.80%). Indicators 28 (prevalence of underweight in children under 5, n = 14, 9.45%) and 19 (use of primary care services, n = 21, 25%) were the next most frequent in ECHO and IRAN-ECHO, respectively.

In this study, ECHO and IRAN-ECHO had high compliance with some UHEI, especially indicators placed in domain 3 (social and human development). It indicates that social and human development plays an important role in preventing and controlling childhood obesity.

Identifying and prioritizing the most appropriate policies for enhancing nutritional habits are vital for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This study was conducted to prioritize the nutritional policies in Iran. A cross-sectional survey applying the two-round Delphi technique was used to prioritize policy options in preventing the burden of NCDs. In the first round, the experts in health and nutrition policy were asked to prioritize 21 policy options on a 5-point Likert scale. After analyzing the first-round questionnaire, the highest mean and lowest dispersion index were calculated as an indicator of high-priority options. In the second round, the policy options suggested by the participants were added to the second-round questionnaire. Finally, the questionnaires were sent to all the participants in case they desired to change their opinions. The expert achieved consensus on "principles of healthy eating" courses in the curriculum of students as a high-priority policy option. In this regard, "promoting community education and customizing healthy food choice" was the next high priority policy option. On the other hand, the lowest policy priority option was "sending free/low-price healthy drinks at home". The three high priority policy categories were reformulating the content of food, enhancing the consumers’ knowledge, and food labeling, respectively. Our findings showed that reformulation, food promotion, and food labeling had the highest priorities for preventing NCDs in Iran. Although food provision policies were cost effective in developing countries such as Iran, it is essential to provide sub-structures for the reformulation of food products.

Development of instruments to measure habitual dietary intake in large epidemiological studies has been investigated extensively. A 168-item Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), originally developed for Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS), is used widely in Iranian food and nutrition studies. In addition to measurement errors at data recording and entry, the printed form is time consuming and costly, both financially and environmentally. This technical report develops a Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) program to collect food and nutrition data using the Iranian 168-item FFQ. The U.S. Census Bureau’s CSPro software is used to construct the CAPI application. The application runs on Android phones, tablets, and computers with Microsoft Windows operating systems (OS). The language of the CAPI is Farsi. This easy to use CAPI attempts to reduce time, cost, and human error in nutrition research at national and subnational level.

Food choice is a process through which people think, feel, and eat food. It is not only influence individual's health and well-being, families and communities, but also has effect on regional, national, and global levels. This qualitative study was carried out to explore perceptions and lived experiences of Tehranian adults on psychological, social and cultural determinants of food choice.
In this qualitative design, 33 adults aged 30-64 years old were recruited from various districts of Tehran, Capital of Iran to make us capable of exploring how people make decision about food choice in practice and shape their perception, attitude and eating practices An individual in-depth semi-structured interview guide included major questions with follow-up probes was used to explore participants’ current and past eating habits from childhood to adulthood, dietary change at different life courses and effective psychological state on food selection in different seasons.
Findings: This study revealed that food choice in the studied adults (30-64 years old) is widely influenced by psychological, social and cultural determinants which can be categorized into five main themes: Cultural context and patterns, Social Structure and Norms, Information Resources and Media, Household and Family structure, Nutrition transition.
The findings clarify the importance of social and cultural contexts which influence the food choice of adults in metropolis like Tehran. Many of these concepts contextualize from the childhood and with the development of individuals. These findings could serve as guidance to design socio-culturally appropriate strategies and improve dietary behaviors of Iranians.