title: Temporal variations of dietary habits in a high-risk area for upper gastrointestinal cancers: a population-based study from northern Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nutrition transition is a global health problem, especially in developing countries. It is known as an important factor for development of different types of health conditions including cancers.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to assess the pattern of nutrition transition in a high-risk area for upper gastrointestinal cancers in Northern Iran during the last decade.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study was conducted on households of Golestan province, Iran. Data on household food consumption between 2001 and 2010 were obtained from the Statistical Center of Iran. The proportions of households with medium/high consumption of main foods were calculated for each year. Joint point software was used for assessing trends. Annual percent changes (APCs) and 95%CIs were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 12,060 households were recruited. The APCs (95%CI) of the proportion of households medium/high consumption of cereals, vegetables, legumes, fish, dairy products and meats were -3.1 (-4.1 to -2.2), -2.9 (-3.8 to -2.1), -2.3 (-3.2 to -1.4), -2.8 (-3.3 to -2.4), -1.9 (-3.0 to -0.9) and 2.7 (1.2 to 4.3), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found significant increase in meat consumption among our population between 2001 and 2010. Our results also suggested significant decreasing trend in consumption of so-called healthy foods including, plant foods, fish, and dairy products. Regarding its correlation with health conditions including cancers, nutrition transition should be considered as a priority in health policy making in our region as well as other high-risk populations. It is recommended to conduct community level interventions to increase consumption of plant foods, fish, and dairy products.
authors.affiliation: Golestan Research Center of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran E-mail : roshandel_md@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Faezeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Salamat
authors.forename: Shahryar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Semnani
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aboomardani
authors.forename: Gholamreza
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Roshandel
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012307:Risk Factors