Adherence to Mediterranean dietary pattern in female adolescents
ISSN: 0034-6659
Article publication date: 13 July 2018
Issue publication date: 10 September 2018
Abstract
Purpose
To the best of our knowledge, the studies on determining adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern (MDP) in Iran as a non-Mediterranean country are scarce. Thus, the aim of the study is to determine the adherence to the MDP in a sample of female adolescents who are residents of Tehran, Iran.
Design/methodology/approach
In this cross-sectional study, 263 female adolescents aged 15-18 years were studied. Information on socio-demographic, lifestyle and anthropometric variables were obtained using a structured questionnaire. Also, dietary intakes were determined using a validated 168-item food frequency questionnaire. Adherence to MDP was characterized using Mediterranean-style dietary pattern score (MSDPS).
Findings
Typically, the mean ± SD MSDPS was low in the present study (15.9 ± 5.6). The mean ± SD age and body mass index of the study population was 16.2 ± 0.9 years and 22.2 ± 4.1 kg/m2, respectively. In this study, the maximum MSDPS was 34.3, which was only one-third of maximum possible score (100). Multiple linear regression analyses showed that higher MSDPS scores were positively associated with age (standardized β = 0.1; p = 0.006), higher energy intake (standardized β = 0.2; p < 0.001) and marginally higher physical activity (standardized β = 0.1; p = 0.079).
Originality/value
Understanding low adherence to MDP in Tehranian female adolescents can provide basic knowledge to launch systematic programmes for gravitation toward MDP.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank all staff and participants for their kind collaboration.
Financial support: Conduction of the study was financially supported by the National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute (WHO Collaborating Center), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, (Grant number 450109).
Disclosure of interest: “The authors report no conflict of interest”.
Authorship: A.N.T., B.R. and R.M. contributed in conception and design, H.F. contributed in statistical analysis.
A.N.T. contributed in generation, collection and assembly, A.N.T., H.F., A.H. and A.S. contributed in data interpretation and manuscript drafting. A.N.T. supervised the study. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.
Citation
Neshatbini Tehrani, A., Farhadnejad, H., Salehpour, A., Moloodi, R., Hekmatdoost, A. and Rashidkhani, B. (2018), "Adherence to Mediterranean dietary pattern in female adolescents", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 48 No. 5, pp. 722-732. https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-12-2017-0262
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited