The Association of General and Central Obesity with Major Dietary Patterns in Adult Women Living in Tehran, Iran

BACKGROUND: Using dietary pattern analysis method could provide more information about nutritional etiology of chronic disease such as obesity. The aim of this study is to determine the association between major dietary patterns and general and central obesity among adult women living in Tehran. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Tehran, Iran, with 460 women aged 20-50 years. 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/m(2) and central obesity as WC ≥ 88 cm. Factor analysis was used for identifying major dietary patterns. The association between major dietary patterns and general and central obesity were assessed by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Two major dietary patterns were extracted: "Healthy" and "Unhealthy" dietary pattern. After adjusting for confounders, individuals in the highest quartile of the unhealthy dietary pattern score were more likely to be generally (OR = 7.33, 95% CI: 2.39-22.51) and centrally obese (OR = 4.99, 95% CI: 2.08-11.94); whereas, those in the upper quartile of healthy dietary pattern were less likely to be generally (OR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.15-0.98) and centrally obese (OR = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.16-0.71). CONCLUSION: Major dietary patterns of Tehrani women had a significant association with general and central obesity. Further prospective researches are required to confirm such associations.