CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Background and objectives: Dietary patterns (DP) havebeen used to identify different combinations of foods that maybe associated with mortality and risk of chronic disease. Theobjective of this study was to identify DP in the adult populationof Argentina, and explore associations with socio-demographicfeatures.Methods: We defined DP among 3,000 adults between 35to 74 years old, participating in CESCAS I, a population-basedcohort study carried out in two cities in Argentina, Marcos Pazand Bariloche. Data on food intake was obtained from a validatedself-administered food frequency questionnaire. Principalcomponent Analysis (PCA) was used to identify DP. A summaryscore for each pattern was then derived and used in multipleregression analysis to examine the relationship betweenDP and socio-demographic variables.Results: Using PCA, we identified 3 major eating patterns.The first factor (Traditional dietary pattern), was characterizedby a high intake of refined grains, red meat, whole fat dairyproducts, vegetable oils, and ?mate?, a traditional South Americaninfused drink frequently consumed in Argentina; the secondfactor (Healthy dietary pattern), was characterized by ahigh intake of vegetables, fruit, low fat dairy products, wholegrains, and legumes; the third factor (Processed-food dietarypattern) consisted mainly of processed meat, snacks, pizza, and?empanadas?, a stuffed bread baked or fried. After adjusting forenergy intake, we found that DP were associated with age, gender,and educational level. Healthy DP score was higher amongwomen and high educational level (p=0.001) while men andyoung people scored significantly higher in the Processed-foodDP (p=0.01).Conclusions: Local DP has been identified in our population.This study will provide useful information to set prioritytargets for nutrition interventions, and promote healthy policiesbased on local food habits.

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