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Objective: Determining geographical distribution and local dietary patterns involved in being obese is useful for designing intervention strategies. Methods: We selected residents between 18 and 65 years old from 11 Chinese provinces to compare dietary patterns and BMI from the China Health and Nutrition Survey packages in 2011. We used linear and logistic regression analyses to assess the strength of association among geographic variables, the obesity problem, and dietary patterns. Results: The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity in the North was 10.51% higher than that in the South. Northern dietary patterns feature a high intake of wheat and soybeans, whereas southern dietary patterns feature a high intake of rice, vegetables, meat, and poultry. The estimated coefficient of regional variables on dietary score is 1.49, the estimated coefficient of regional variables on the odds ratio for being overweight is 1.68 and for being obese is 2.04. Multivariate logistic regression including both variables of South-North areas and northern dietary patterns showed a significant correlation with being overweight or obese. Conclusions: Northern areas and their local dietary patterns are more likely to contribute to overweight and obesity. Our study provides empirical evidence for policies that target the ''obesogenic'' environment and promote opportunities for persons to access healthy dietary patterns and nutritional balance.

Background: It is believed that parents have a great influence on their children's dietary behaviours. However, it is not clear whether parental food patterns are associated with children's nutritional status in China, which includes a vast territory with rich, diverse cultures. The goal of this project is to systematically study the associations between parental food intake and children's overweight and obesity in China, according to children's ages and regional differences. Methods: Based on individual food consumption data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) package in 2011, cross-sectional studies have previously been conducted to analyse the association between different categories of food intake of parents and children. The current study extends this research by directly. Results: Our analysis results show that parental food intake is highly correlated with children's food intake, with the estimated coefficients of most food intake categories being greater than 0.5. Furthermore, this association between parental food intake and children's overweight and obesity is most significant in young children, but it begins to weaken in relation to children aged between 13 and 18. Additionally, the associations between parental food intake and children's overnutrition are more significant in rural areas than they are in urban areas. Conclusions: The association between parental food intake and childhood overweight and obesity is significant, although it varies considerably according to food categories, children's ages and area differences. These results show promise for intervening in the overnutrition of children by controlling household dietary patterns according to children's developmental stages and regional differences.

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