Dietary Patterns Are Associated with Weight Gain in Newlyweds: Findings from a Cross-sectional Study in Shanghai, China

Objective: The present study aimed to characterize the dietary patterns of newlyweds married within one year and to examine the factors associated with weight changes.

Design: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 2009.

Setting: Baoshan District, Shanghai, China.

Subjects: A total of 342 pairs of newlyweds were recruited at their first visit. Weight and height were measured and food intake was measured based on an FFQ with forty-nine items. Dietary patterns were identified through factor analysis, and the factors associated with weight changes were determined by multiple regression models.

Results: Average weight gain of the participants during marital transition was 1.9 kg (2.2 kg for men and 1.6 kg for women). Four major dietary patterns were identified: vegetable pattern, sweets and fats pattern, legume pattern and poultry, beef and mutton pattern. In multivariate analyses, the highest quintile of factor 2 (sweets and fats pattern) was significantly associated with weight gain after marriage in a comparison with the lowest quintile (β = 2.94; 95 % CI 0.75, 5.15; P = 0.01) in men. The highest quintile of factor 4 (poultry, beef and mutton pattern) was inversely associated with weight gain after marriage in a comparison with the lowest quintile (β = -1.21; 95 % CI -2.32, -0.11; P = 0.03).

Conclusions: Our results suggest that a pattern rich in sugar, oil and condiments may lead to greater marital weight gain in men; another pattern rich in poultry, beef and mutton may lead to less marital weight gain in both men and women.