Khosro Shafaghi
Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Iran
Title: Dietary patterns as a predictive factor for overweight/obesity among adolescents in Mashhad, Iran
Biography
Biography: Khosro Shafaghi
Abstract
Statement of Problem: A growing volume of literature points that the food intake pattern being more predictive of health
outcomes than the single nutrient approach. The World Health Organization suggests that dietary allowances for populations
should be based on the totality of their diets rather than on the traditional focus on nutrients. Diet in childhood and adolescents
have a potential lifelong effect on risks for obesity.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the main dietary patterns among the adolescents and investigate its
relationship with overweight and obesity among them.
Methodology: This cross sectional study was conducted among 1189 urban secondary school children who studied in 10
schools (overall from 501 schools), in Mashhad. It explored, food intake using a 121 item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ).
The Principal Component Factor analysis (PCA) was applied to define dietary patterns. Overweight and obesity was defined
using WHO cut-off points.
Findings: The patterns were labelled subjectively based on the nature of the food groups with labelled as Healthy Pattern
(HP) that characterized by higher intake of fish and other sea foods, fruits, and fruit juice, green, white and yellow vegetables,
whole grains, dried and processed fruits, and Unhealthy pattern (UP) that was heavily loaded on food items were high energy
dense and rich in oil and sugar such as sweets, sugars and confectionary, tea, and coffee, egg, cooked, and fried potato, and
moderately loaded on snacks, nuts, Iranian broth, and pickles. This study showed that 11.7% of adolescents were obese and
17.3% were overweight. The HP was significantly associated with BMI (Body Mass Index). Similarly, UP was significantly
associated with BMI.
Conclusions: Childhood obesity is one of the biggest health issues in Mashhad. Dietary patterns are good predictive and useful
when a researcher wants to examine the relationship between overall patterns of diet and health outcomes, such as obesity