Dietary Patterns and Sociodemographic Factors in Socially Vulnerable Populations: Cross-Sectional Study in Users of First Level Healthcare

Abstract Objective: Define the dietary patterns of adults with normal weight, overweight and obesity, and their association with socio-demographic factors. Methods: The size of the sample universe is 1,000 homes in four states of the Mexican Republic. A sub-sample was selected of 787 people to whom a healthcare questionnaire was applied. A factor analysis by principal components was carried out to identify dietary patterns. The distribution of the population’s socio-demographic characteristics was analyzed by quartiles and a multivariate logistic regression was done with dietary patterns as the dependent variable; p < 0.05 values were taken for statistical significance.Results: Three dietary patterns were identified in the two population groups (normal weight / overweight-obesity): Prudent, Western and Varied. In both groups, a prudent pattern was found, with high consumption of fruits, vegetables and plain water. The Western pattern is characterized by consumption of flours, processed foods and those of animal origin, and the varied pattern presented consumption of oils, sugar sweetened beverages and snacks. The Prudent pattern was positively associated with the female sex and age, while the Western pattern was associated with elementary schooling level and the varied pattern with the masculine sex. The study population reported dietary risk factors, physical inactivity, and time in front of a screen, tobacco consumption, alcohol consumption and family history of chronic diseases.Conclusion: Health effects derived from the different dietary patterns could increase economic and social vulnerability of the studied populations, which is a challenge to the health system for the provision of comprehensive care.