THE ASSOCIATION OF FOOD PRICES WITH DIETARY QUALITY INDICES IN WOMEN: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background and Aim: Earlier studies reported that food costs impact upon adherence to high quality diets. In the present study, the associations of food prices with two dietary quality indices (DQI) were examined. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 304 Iranian women were recruited. Adherence to Mediterranean and Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension (DASH) dietary patterns was examined. Diet cost was calculated based on the average prices of food items obtained from licensed supermarkets. Results: There were no significant differences in the demographic characteristics of participants across DQI tertiles. In DASH categories, upward trends in food costs were observed. However, after considering food price per 1000 kcal/day (FPP1000), we found that women in the top tertile spent less money for food (p=0.001). However, no significant differences were observed in Mediterranean diet categories (p=0.20). When price for FPP1000 was considered, we found that subjects in the upper tertile spent less money than those in the first one (p=0.001). Conclusion: Adherence to DASH diet was associated with higher food costs. However, FPP1000 showed that participants with the most adherences to DASH and Mediterranean dietary patterns, spent less money compared to those with the least adherence. As adherence to healthy diets does not encounter to economical problems in Iran, future food policy should pay more attention to other parameters including nutritional awareness of people.

Keywords:

Price , Dietary quality , Women