Evaluation of major dietary patterns and general and central obesity in adult women of north Tehran in 2007

Abstract Using dietary pattern analysis method reflects individuals’ dietary behaviors and therefore could provide more detailed information about nutritional etiology of chronic disease like obesity. The aim of this study is to determine major dietary patterns and general and central obesity in adult women living in north of Tehran in 2007. In this cross-sectional study 460 women aged 20-50 y, living in north of Tehran, were sampled with stratified random sampling method. Dietary intake in last year was collected by a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Weight, height and waist circumstance (WC) were measured with standard methods and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. General obesity was defined as BMI ≥30 kg/m2 and central obesity as WC ≥ 88 cm. Factor analysis method was used for identifying major dietary patterns. The association between major dietary patterns and general and central obesity were assessed by logistic regression analysis. Two major dietary patterns were extracted: Healthy dietary pattern and unhealthy dietary pattern. After adjusting for confounders, individuals in the upper quartile of the unhealthy dietary pattern score were more likely to be generally (OR=3.70, P<0.01) and centrally obese (OR=4.01, P<0.01), whereas those in the upper quartile of healthy dietary pattern were less likely to be generally and centrally obese. Major dietary patterns of the women in this study had the significant associations with general and central obesity. Further prospective investigations are required to confirm such associations.