Association of different dietary patterns and blood pressure in children and adolescents: Isfahan Salt Study

Ahadi, Masoud; Khosravi Farsani, Alireza; Mohammadifard, Noushin

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Research code: 394295

Ethics code: IR.MUI.REC.1394.3/294

Association of different dietary patterns and blood pressure in children and adolescents: Isfahan Salt Study

Masoud Ahadi¹

, Alireza Khosravi Farsani²

, Noushin Mohammadifard ^*³

1- Department of Health, Education and Training of East Azerbaijan Province, Tabriz, Iran
2- Hypertension Research center, Cardiovascular research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
3- Isfahan Cardiovascular Research center, Cardiovascular research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran , noushinmohammadifard@gmail.com

Abstract: (22 Views)

Background and Aims: Due to the importance of diet quality in blood pressure (BP) regulation, this study aimed to determine the relationship between major dietary patterns and BP in Iranian children and adolescents.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 786 children and adolescents aged 6–18 years living in Isfahan, who were randomly selected from health center clusters across Isfahan city during 2014–2015. Using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, dietary behavior was assessed, and dietary patterns were derived using factor analysis. Systolic and diastolic BP (SBP and DBP) were measured using standard protocols. The association between three identified dietary patterns, including the dietary approach to stop hypertension (DASH), high-sodium, and unhealthy patterns, and BP was examined after adjusting for potential confounders.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 12.46 ± 3.36 years, and 50.9% were boys. After adjusting for all potential confounders, the DASH dietary pattern was inversely associated with mean SBP (from the first to third tertile: 104.90 ± 0.65, 103.27 ± 0.65, and 101.28 ± 0.61 mmHg; P = 0.010), and the unhealthy dietary pattern was associated with higher SBP (from the first to third tertile: 102.09 ± 0.56, 103.91 ± 0.55, and 104.43 ± 0.67 mmHg; P = 0.48). The high-sodium dietary pattern was not significantly associated with SBP and DBP.
Conclusion: Overall diet quality plays a more important role in BP regulation than sodium restriction alone. Promoting healthy dietary patterns, such as the DASH diet, and reducing processed foods intake may be an effective strategy for the primary prevention of hypertension in children and adolescents.

Keywords: Blood Pressure, Children and Adolescents, Dietary Pattern, Sodium

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Type of Study: Original Article | Subject: Nutrition
Received: 2025/11/9 | Accepted: 2025/12/28 | ePublished ahead of print: 2026/02/2