Using factor analysis to identify dietary patterns in Iranian adults: Isfahan Healthy Heart Program

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Understanding dietary patterns is crucial for public health initiatives.
• Previous research has not comprehensively identified dietary patterns in Iranian adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and characterize major dietary patterns among a representative sample of Iranian adults.
• To explore associations between identified dietary patterns and demographic factors.

Main Methods:

• Factor analysis was applied to data from a validated 48-item food frequency questionnaire.
• The study included 12,514 adults (≥19 years) from the Isfahan Healthy Heart Program (IHHP) baseline survey (2000-2001).
• Participants were randomly selected from three counties in Central Iran.

Main Results:

• Four distinct dietary patterns emerged: "Western", "animal fat", "traditional", and "Mediterranean".
• Age showed a positive association with the Mediterranean diet and negative associations with the other three patterns (P < 0.001).
• Lower education levels were linked to Western and traditional dietary patterns (P < 0.01), while being single, widowed, or divorced correlated with the Western pattern in men (P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• The study successfully identified four significant dietary patterns in the Iranian adult population.
• These findings provide valuable data for developing targeted public health interventions and understanding dietary behaviors related to health risks.