ABSTRACT
Introduction: Food habits play important roles in maintaining physical and mental health and preventing chronic illnesses in the elderly. The aim of the present study was to investigate dietary behaviors of elderly people residing in Yazd city which is located in central Iran
Methods: The present analysis was conducted on 1684 participants entered to Yazd Health Study aged over 60 years during 2014-2015. Demographic characteristics, health status, physical activity, economic status, education and dietary behaviors were collected by using a validated questionnaire
Results: Our analysis revealed that only 1.2% of the elderly consumed more than two servings of dairy per day. Furthermore only 3 and 9.8 percent of elders consumed more than three servings/day of vegetables and fruits, respectively. The study also showed that 22.9% ate more than five servings of sugar per day, 22.5% took more than four units of legumes weekly, 56.1% ate two to three servings of poultry per week, 77% reported eating fast foods for at least once a week, 47.8% consumed canned foods less than once a week of and 86.3% reported taking breakfast for at least five times a week. For cooking 18.9% of elderly still use hydrogenated vegetable oils, 52.8% of the elderly did not separate visible fats from red meat before cooking, 65.8% chose high-fat dairy and 24% of older people reported using frying and grilling as their primary cooking method. Our findings also suggest that dietary behavior is different between elder men and women
Conclusion: Unhealthy dietary habits, including low vegetables, fruits and dairy products intake, are highly prevalent among elderly people residing in Yazd. Community based interventions targeting this age group, in order to improve their dietary intake, are highly recommended
ABSTRACT
Body mass index [BMI] before pregnancy and weight gaining during pregnancy affect infant birth weight and are associated with unfavorable pregnancy outcomes. The aim of this study was to describe the weight gain pattern of Iranian pregnant women according to the BMI status at the beginning of pregnancy. This was a longitudinal cross sectional study. A total of 500 pregnant women in 6[th]-10[th] weeks of pregnancy were enrolled and followed up through delivery. Body mass index categories based on first visit weight and total weight gain were calculated. The multiple analysis of variance [MANOVA] was used to compare the mean values of gestational weight gain. At the first care, those with underweight, normal, overweight and obese accounted for 10.7%, 46%, 35.9% and 7.4% of all participating women, respectively. Most of the subjects were in normal range of BMI [46%] at the beginning of the study. As BMI was more at the first visit, the recommended amount of weight gain was less achievable [70% versus 27%]. Although the average weight gain in obese women was less than other groups [9 +/- 7.9], about 55% of them were over the recommended standards of weight gain. In conclusion, in spite of frequent visits during pregnancy, only half of pregnant women had normal weight gain and most of them had normal BMI at the first visit. This study highlights the importance of considering women with abnormal pre pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain at an increased risk and providing appropriate care for them to prevent future adverse outcomes