Bahareh Seyyedin - Department of Community Nutrition, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Tehran, Iran
Arezoo Rezazadeh - Department of Community Nutrition, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Tehran, Iran
Nasrin Omidvar - Department of Community Nutrition, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Tehran, Iran
Farid Zayeri - Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Paramedical sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Background and Aim: Obesity and overweight is a great concern in adolescents health. The aim of this study was to investigate major dietary pattern in Azeri and Kurd female adolescents living in Urmia city and its association with overweight/obesity.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 350(Azeri n=219; Kurds, n=131)girl students aged 16-18 from all districts of Urmia city. Dietary intake information was collected by a validated 169 items semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire via face-to-face interview. Height and weight were measured using standard techniques. WHO cut-off was applied for defining overweigh/obesity. Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship of overweight/obesity and dietary patterns.Results: Three major dietary patterns were extracted by factor analysis: high vegetable-high dairy (vegetable, potato, low-fat dairy, egg), high protein (red meat, legumes, whole grains), traditional dishes (Dolma, Khoresh, Abgusht). Mean±SD of weight (97/60±55/12vs. 31/56±12/07), body mass index[BMI] (23/51±4/52v.s 86/21± 4/17) and BMI-for-age z-score [BAZ] (0/54±1/25 vs. 0/09 ±1/15) was higher in Azeris than Kurds. Higher percent of Azeris were overweight/obese than Kurds (29/7% vs. 12/2%). After adjusting for cofounders (age, physical activity and socio-economic factors), Azeri participants in upper quartile of high vegetable-high dairy pattern had greater chance to be overweight/obese (OR=4.74, CI:95%; 1.94-11.55), while overweight/obesity risk increased in Kurds in the upper quartile of high protein pattern (OR=8.58,CI:95%;1.79-41.11). The Third pattern was not related with overweight/obesity in both ethnic groups.Conclusion: Findings reveal the differences between dietary pattern and obesity trend in different ethnical groups, suggesting the important role of culture and socio-economic status.

Adolescents;dietary pattern;obesity;ethnicity