Identification of dietary patterns among Iranian adults

Background: Identification of food patterns is of crucial important. As far as we know, no study has been yet carried out in the west of Iran. The aim of this study was to determine staple food patterns among adult persons in Khorramabad city. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study food intake of 973 people (736 women) were gathered by Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ 208 food items). These food items were stratified to 40 food groups and using factor analysis were analyzed by SPSS software. Res‌ults: Factor analysis determined 3 major food patterns: healthy dietary pattern (HDP) (high in poultry, low fat dairy products, high fat dairy products, cruciferous vegetables, yellow vegetables, green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, whole grains, fish, olives, and fruits) western dietary patterns (WDP) ( high in meat, processed meat, organ meats, margarine, condiments, sweets and desserts, soft drinks, dried fruits, snacks) traditional dietary patterns (TDP) ( high in eggs, tea, fruit juices, refined grains, nuts, pickles, hydrogenated fats, sugars, salt, spices). In general, these food patterns justified 29.88% of variances. There was no significant difference between men and women from the view point of dietary pattern. Conclusion: Three food patterns were identified among adults (18-70 y) in Khorramabad. Association between these food patterns and health problems will be discussed in another study.