Lifestyle and nutrition behaviors among Iranian population

ABSTRACT

There is a strong belief that poor nutrition is a major risk factor for developing ill health including chronic diseases. As part of a study on health perception among Iranian people, the relationship of nutrition with other lifestyle factors was assessed. This was a population-based study. A random sample of individuals aged between 18 and 65 years were entered into the study. Respondents were asked to indicate how much they look after of own nutrition status. They rated their behavior on a 5-point scale. In addition to socio-demographic, the record of lifestyle data included smoking, and physical activity. Descriptive statistic and correlation were used to analyze the data. In all 27,883 individuals taken part in this study. The mean age of respondents was 32.7 [SD = 11.8] years old. 39.3% and 13.4% respondents indicated that they were very or very much concerned about their nutrition issues respectively. Further analysis showed that there were a positive correlation between nutrition behaviors and other lifestyle habits. Non-smokers, those with higher level of physical activities and those who were more health-oriented were more likely to take care of themselves regarding nutrition issues. The findings suggest that health-related behaviors are very connected to each other. Indeed cognitive interventions might be necessary to improve the health-related behaviors among Iranian nation