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Purpose During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes in dietary intake were observed. However, the determinants of food choice and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) in this period were not studied so far for Iranian adults. This study aimed to assess the food choice determinants changes and Adherence to the MD of Iranian adults. Design/methodology/approach This study was a cross-sectional study that was conducted from April 2019 to May 2020, based on the snowball sampling, and a total number of 2,540 adults from all the regions of Iran participated. The Food Choice Questionnaire was used to analyze food choice determinants, and the validated ten-item MD adherence screener was used to assess the adherence to the MD. Findings Before the COVID-19 quarantine, sensory appeal and price were the most important factors in Iranian food choice (with the highest scores), but during the COVID-19 pandemic the important food choice determinants were health and weight control. Consumption of vegetables (71.85% vs 40.07%), fruits (60.70% vs 38.74%), legumes (24.72% vs 12.38%) and nuts (14.33%) increased significantly after the outbreak of quarantine.

Purpose This study aims to investigate the food choice motivations and some healthy food intake among Ardabil adults with different socioeconomic status. Design/methodology/approach The analysis is based on a focus group study conducted in September 2018. Self-assessed other food choice motivations, healthy food intake and socioeconomic status were reported in questionnaires. The study data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA test and χ2 test in groups of study. Findings Price was a primary motivation of food choice for low-level socioeconomic status persons. The wealthiest people total vegetable consumption was 3.59Â ± 0.004 serving/day, whereas the total vegetable consumption of poorest participants was significantly less than them (p = 0.012). Of the socioeconomics category 1 (SEC1) group participants, 82 per cent said that they consider food price when they were purchasing for their households, while only 28 per cent of SEC4 group said that they consider food prices when food choosing. Only 1 per cent of this group participants pay attention to food label when they choose foods. Originality/value This is the first study that investigated the food choice motivations in Ardabil adults. The results indicated that food price is the most critical food choice motivation. Based on this study results, the food policymaker can change people food security and food choices with some programs like as healthy food subsidies and unhealthy food taxes.

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Purpose Obesity is a multi-factorial problem that develops from an interaction between diet, genetics, physical activity, medication, and other factors. This paper aims to examine the association between dietary diversity score (DDS) and obesity among adults of Ardebil. Design/methodology/approach This case-control study was conducted on 204 cases (obese and overweight participants) and 204 controls (healthy weight individuals) matched by socioeconomic status (SES), age (older than 30 years) and sex. Dietary intake was assessed using a 24 h food recall questionnaire. Data on physical activity and socio-demographic variables were gathered. DDS was computed based on the scoring of the 14 food groups recommended by the Food and Agriculture organization guideline. Findings The DDS of the obese group was higher (5.02 ± 1.02) than that of the healthy weight group (4.23 ± 1.18) (p < 0.001). There was a significant association between DDS and body mass index (BMI) in both groups of study, but this association was more significant in the obese group (β = 0.501, p = 0.021) than that of healthy weight group (β = 0.413, p= 0.042). Vegetable food group score in both groups of the study was associated with obesity inversely (p < 0.05). Originality/value This study was conducted for the first time in Ardabil city and the results showed for the first time that there is a relationship between dietary diversity and obesity. People with a higher dietary diversity score are more likely to be obese. In fact, this study for the first time proved that people who are obese have a more varied diet but less vegetables and fruits.

Purpose This study aims to assess the association of dietary inflammatory index (DII), consumption of functional food and some antioxidants with COVID-19 vaccine side effects in Iranian adults. Design/methodology/approach This was a case–control study conducted among the 1,067 Iranian adults who were invited to participate through WhatsApp software. The dietary intake was assessed using the food frequency questionnaire. Findings There was a significant difference (p = 0.04) in vitamin D consumption between healthy people and persons with a vaccine side effect. Vitamin E intake in healthy participants was significantly (p = 0.04) more than case group. There was a significant difference in the consumption of zinc (p = 0.01), selenium (p = 0.02) and vitamin C (p = 0.02), between persons without vaccine side effects and the case group. Consumption of onion (82.5 ± 9.5 g/day vs 32.2 ± 6.3; p = 0.0001), garlic (6 ± 0.3 g/day vs 0.2 ± 0.08; p = 0.0001) and oat (2.2 ± 0.05 g/day vs 0.5 ± 0.01; p = 0.001) in the control group was significantly more than persons with vaccine side effects. With the increase in each unit in the score of the DII, the risk of COVID-19 vaccine side effect incidence increased 1.7 times (OR = 1.7; 95% CI: 1.3–1.8). Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first that investigated the association between functional food intake and side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine.

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