The association between global and prime diet quality scores and the risk of bacterial vaginosis: a secondary analysis of case-control study

Abstract

Introduction: The present aimed to examine the relationship between Global Diet Quality (GDQ) and Prime Diet Quality (PDQ) scores and the likelihood of bacterial vaginosis (BV) among women.

Methods: This case-control study was conducted among patients referred to a gynecological clinic in Tehran using the convenience sampling method. All the participants were examined by a gynecologist to rule out BV based on the presence of three or four of Amsel criteria. A valid semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) containing 168 food items was used to estimate participants' dietary intake. To calculate the GDQ score, 25 food groups were considered, while 21 food groups were used for the PDQ score, based on the of daily consumption (in grams). All statistical analysis were performed using SPSS, and the association between GDQ and PDQ scores and the odds of BV was evaluated using binary logistic regression.

Results: After adjusting for age, energy intake, fat intake, BMI, physical activity, familial history of BV, pregnancy history, menstrual cycle, smoking history, and the number of sexual partners in the previous month, significant associations remained between highest tertile of GDQ total (odds ratio (OR) = 0.219, confidence interval (CI) 95%: 0.101-0.475) and positive score (OR = 0.235, CI 95%: 0.103-0.533), as well as PDQ total (OR = 0.277, CI 95%: 0.131-0.583) and healthy score (OR = 0.397, CI 95%: 0.185-0.854) with the odds of BV, compared to the first tertile.

Conclusion: A high diet quality, as indicated by high GDQ and PDQ scores, was associated with decreased risk of BV. These findings suggest that dietary intervention may be a viable strategy for the prevention and management of BV.

Keywords: Bacterial vaginosis; Diet; Diet quality; Global diet; Prime diet.