Association of healthy foods intake with anthropometric measures and blood pressure in a national sample of Iranian children and adolescents: the CASPIAN-IV Study

BACKGROUND This study aims to evaluate the association of consuming healthy foods with anthropometric measures and blood pressure (BP) in a national sample of Iranian children and adolescents. METHODS This nationwide study was conducted in 2011-2012 among 13,486 students, aged 6-18 years, selected by multistage cluster sampling from 30 provinces. Weight, height, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), wais to height ratio (WHtR), waist to hip ratio (WHR), as well as systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP, DBP) were measured. Healthy foods were considered as four categories including fresh fruits, dried fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. The frequency consumption of each of these foods was recorded as daily, weekly, and seldom. RESULTS The intake of fruits was significantly associated with anthropometric indices. Moreover, a significant association was found between vegetables consumption, DBP levels, and anthropometric indices (except for WHtR and WHR). Milk consumption was significantly associated with anthropometric indices (except for WHtR and WHR). The odds of general obesity among participants who seldom consumed dried fruits was less than those who consumed daily (OR: 0.84, 95%CI: 0.74-0.96). We did not find any significant association for the frequency of fresh fruits and vegetables consumption with obesity, abdominal obesity, DBP and SBP. CONCLUSIONS Consumption of dried fruits was associated with general obesity in children and adolescents. These results highlight the effect of dietary quality and food choices on weight control in children and adolescents.