DO PERSONALITY TRAITS PREDICT MAJOR DIETARY PATTERNS AND ABILITY TO OBTAIN IDEAL BODY WEIGHT IN YOUNG FEMALE STUDENTS

Background and Aim: The purpose of the present study was to determine the association between personality traits, major dietary patterns and anthropometric measures of female university students.Methods: A cross-sectional study design was applied in the 393 female students of the Ahwaz University of Medical Science. Personality traits were assessed by a short-form of NEO Five-Factor Inventory. A 147-item, semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire was used to assess dietary intake and major dietary patterns were identified by the principal component analysis. Multinomial linear regression was employed to evaluate the relationship between personality traits and dietary patterns.Results: Three major dietary patterns were identified: convenience, traditional and healthy dietary patterns. A higher score in consciousness (r=0.25), agreeableness (r=0.14) and extraversion (r=0.11) and a lower score in openness (r=-0.14) was significantly associated with more adherence to the convenience diet. There was an inverse association with consciousness (r=-0.37), agreeableness (r=-0.30) and extraversion (r=-0.16) and direct association with openness (r=0.13) and more adherence to the traditional diet. The healthy dietary pattern was significantly associated with higher scores of consciousness (r=0.15), openness (r=0.33) and extraversion (r=0.16) and a lower score of neuroticism (r=-0.13). Also, individuals with the higher score in agreeableness (r=0.12) and a lower score in openness (r=-0.14) had more distance from their IBW.Conclusion: The current study demonstrated that there is an association between convenience and traditional diet and consciousness, agreeableness, extraversion, and openness. Adherence to the healthy diet can be predicted by consciousness, openness, extraversion, and neuroticism.

Keywords:

Dietary pattern , personality traits , female , students , principal component analysis