Study on the dietary pattern assessed with semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire among rural Tibetan women with children younger than 2 years in Lhasa city

Abstract

To explore the dietary pattern of rural Tibetan women with children under 2 years of age. A cross-sectional survey on dietary pattern together with a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire was conducted among Tibetan women in rural Lhasa in 2008. 386 women were investigated with the average age as 28.5 years old and average schooling-years as 4.6. For each member in the woman's family, daily intake of vegetable oil was 25.9 g on average. Daily intake of butter, sugar and salt were 27.8 g, 12.9 g and 14.8 g respectively, which were higher than figures from national nutrition and health survey (P < 0.01). Among 91 kinds of food under investigation, only 22 kinds with the frequencies of consumption more than 1 time per day. Three main factors were derived by factor analysis. The first factor represented vegetable pattern characterized with vegetables, grains, fruits and a few animal foods. It was a dominant pattern for the subjects, which explained nearly 10% variance. The second one was Tibetan style pattern in which Tibetan foods and a few vegetables were consumed. The last one called meats and milk products pattern also reflected the Tibetan dietary style. Daily intake of energy for women was 2097.02 kcal which met 91.2% of Chinese recommended nutrients intake (RNI). Daily intake of protein and fat reached 82% of RNI and vitamin A but only 34.7% on RNI. Daily intake of calcium, iron and zinc reached 64.6%, 174.1% and 150.7% of RNI, receptively. Grains provided 65% of energy but only 7.4% of the energy and 15.5% of protein were from animal foods. "Tsampa" provided 57.6% of iron. Vegetable pattern had been the dominant dietary pattern among Tibetan women in rural Lhasa. Intake of energy, protein and some micronutrients were not sufficient.