Pattern of dietary behaviour and obesity in Ahwaz, Islamic Republic of Iran.

To study behavioural factors associated with diet and to investigate body mass index distribution, a cross-sectional survey was carried out in Ahwaz. A composite dietary behaviour score obtained from self-reported responses to a 24-item food-frequency questionnaire was used to categorize eating habits as more/less healthy. Responders were 1600 heads of households from 150,000 randomly selected residences. Less healthy diets were shown to be associated with age and economic status, and greater obesity with women and age (reversed after ages > 65 years). Interventions targeted at less healthy eaters need to be evidence-based, and further research into factors determining access to healthy diets in developing communities is required.