Dietary patterns and their association with sociodemographic and behavioral factors: 2015 Women's Health Research, São Leopoldo (RS).

Introduction: Dietary patterns may be more predictive of disease risk than individual nutrients or foods.

Objective: To identify dietary patterns and associated factors among adult women.

Method: Population-based cross-sectional study with 1,128 women, aged 20 to 69 years, living in São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul. Food intake was assessed with a frequency questionnaire. The principal component analysis identified dietary patterns. We estimated crude and adjusted prevalence ratios using Poisson regression with robust variance.

Results: Threedietary patterns - responsible for 25.8% of the total variance - were identified: healthy (fruits, vegetables, and whole foods); risk (ultra-processed foods); and Brazilian (rice and beans). The healthy pattern showed the largest percentage of explained variation (11.62%). The probability of adherence to the healthy pattern increased linearly with age and schooling and was higher among ex-smokers [prevalence ratio (PR)=1.22; confidence interval of 95% (95%CI) 1.04 - 1.42]. Younger women and those with better schooling had more chances of adhering to the risk pattern. The probability of adherence to the Brazilian pattern increased as schooling decreased and was higher among non-white women (PR = 1.29; 95%CI 1.04- 1.59).

Conclusions: While adherence to healthy and risk patterns behaved differently according to women's age, it was similar regarding schooling. Socioeconomic conditions defined adherence to the Brazilian pattern.