The relationship between dietary patterns and anthropometric indicators, malnutrition status, blood pressure, physical activity, and cognitive function among older adults referring to Health Centers in Jolfa

Abstract

Background: Diet is considered a modifiable risk factor in the prevention of chronic diseases in older adults. Moreover, dietary intake in Middle Eastern people has a different and unique picture. Investigation into the diet-disease relations in this part of the world is of great importance. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the association of major dietary patterns with obesity, hypertension, and cognitive function in older adults. Material and methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 336 participants aged 60 years or older. Dietary data were collected using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Data regarding height, weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure were collected using standard methods. Obesity was defined as body mass index ≥30 kg/m2 and abdominal obesity was defined as waist circumference ≥95 cm for men and women. Hypertension was defined as blood pressure ≥ 140/90 mmHg or taking anti-hypertension medications. Mini–Mental State Examination (MMSE) score, validated for Iranians, was applied to assess cognitive function. Dietary patterns were identified using factor analysis procedure. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 69.2± 7.28 years of whom 37.5 percent were male. Three major dietary patterns including mixed, healthy, and unhealthy were identified. There was an inverse association between mixed dietary pattern and abdominal obesity either before (odds ratio (OR): 0.47, 95% cofidence interval (CI): 0.27-0.81) or after (OR: 0.40, 95%CI: 0.21-0.78) controlling for potential confounders. Higher scores of mixed pattern was also associated with lower odds of hypertension either before (OR: 0.37, 95%CI: 0.20-0.68) or after (OR: 0.37, 95%CI: 0.18-0.75) adjusting for confounders. Moreover, unhealthy dietary pattern was associated with greater risk of hypertension (OR: 1.87, 95%CI: 1.05-3.31) and abdominal obesity (OR: 1.98, 95%CI: 1.15-3.43). These associations remained significant after taking potential confounders into account (OR: 1.91, 95%CI: 1.03-3.55 for hypertension and OR: 1.92, 95%CI: 1.05-3.49 for abdominal obesityinding). Moreover, there was a weak but significant correlation of mixed (r=0.25, P>0.001) and healthy (r=0.12, P=0.02) dietary pattern with physical activity. Conclusion: The current study provides evidence for an inverse association of mixed pattern with abdominal obesity and hypertension. It also suggests that unhealthy pattern is associated with higher odds of abdominal obesity and hypertension. Additionally, there may be a weak correlation between scores of mixed and healthy dietary patterns with physical activity.