Major dietary patterns in Iranian adolescents: Isfahan Healthy Heart Program, Iran

Limited information exists from the dietary pattern of children and adolescents particularly in developing countries. We aimed to detect major dietary patterns and their association with socio-demographic characteristics of Iranian adolescents.

Healthy Heart Promotion from Childhood as one of the "Isfahan Healthy Heart Program", Iran, projects was conducted in adolescents aged 11-18 years in Isfahan, Najafabad, and Arak districts, Iran, selected randomly by multistage sampling. This survey was conducted on 1992 adolescents in 2007. Dietary intake was assessed using a 50-item food frequency questionnaire in both communities.

Four major dietary patterns labeled "prudent diet," fast food diet," "animal fat diet," and "Mediterranean diet" were identified. We found a significant inverse relationship between prudent and animal fat dietary patterns with age, prudent and Mediterranean dietary patterns with being boy. However, a positive relationship between fast food dietary pattern and age; fast food and animal fat dietary patterns with being boy were detected (all P < 0.05). While urbanization and TV watching correlated positively with the fast food diet, an inverse relationship between urbanization and animal fat and Mediterranean dietary patterns were found (all P < 0.01). The animal fat and fast food dietary patterns inversely associated with nutrition knowledge; however, Mediterranean diet had a positive relationship with it (all P < 0.05). Membership in sport team was positively related to all dietary pattern and regular physical activity associated only with prudent diet (all P < 0.05).

The study suggests that socio-demographic characteristics and physical activity are related to dietary patterns in Iranian adolescents.