title: Assessing food dietary intakes in Japanese-Brazilians using factor analysis.
abstract: We describe the use of factor analysis for assessing food habits in Japanese-Brazilians. Dietary data from 1,283 participants of a cross-sectional study were used. Besides statistical criteria, we also used the conceptual meaning of identified profiles to obtain scores for dietary patterns (Japanese or Western profile). Paired Student t test, linear regression and Poisson models were used to verify the existence of relationship between these scores and generation, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and presence of metabolic syndrome, respectively. First generation subjects had higher mean Japanese profile scores and lower Western profile scores than those of second generation. The Western dietary pattern was associated with BMI (p = 0.001), waist circumference (p = 0.023) and metabolic syndrome (p < 0.05). We concluded that these scores were able to discriminate subjects who maintained their traditional Japanese lifestyle or otherwise, and that the incorporation of a Western lifestyle is associated to high values of BMI, waist circumference and presence of metabolic syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Preventiva, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brasil. sgag@uol.com.br
authors.forename: Suely Godoy Agostinho
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Gimeno
authors.forename: Solange
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andreoni
authors.forename: Sandra Roberta Gouvea
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Laércio Joel
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Franco
authors.forename: Marly Augusto
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Cardoso
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil; D004034:Diet Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004435:Eating / Q000208:ethnology*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000208:ethnology; D008019:Life Style / Q000208:ethnology*; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis; D008875:Middle Aged; D055105:Waist Circumference / Q000502:physiology