A policy package for socio-cultural factors of promoting healthy diet in Iran

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) cause 74% of global deaths annually, for which poor diet is the leading risk factor. Diet improvement could prevent 20% of global deaths. This paper presents a policy package for socio-cultural factors, strategies, and policies to promote a healthy diet in Iran.

This is a qualitative health policy analysis. We conducted 30 semi-structured, in-depth, and face-to-face interviews with purposefully identified key informants, i.e., experts, policy-makers, and high-level managers, during 2018-19 in Iran. All interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. The MAXQDA 11 software was used to facilitate data analysis.

We developed several recommendations for different stakeholders, including improving cultural habits, promoting the use of fruit and vegetables, establishing healthy taste from early childhood, enhancing people’s health literacy, developing health-promoting schools, and implementing a healthy buffet.

In line with target 3.4 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for the prevention and control of NCDs, since 2015, Iran has developed its national action plan, including several nutritional interventions to achieve the target of reducing 30% of premature death due to NCDs and related risk factors by 2030. Our evidence-based recommendations can assist the government and other stakeholders, as we envisage, boost their activities to combat unhealthy diets, the biggest risk factor of NCDs in Iran, and perhaps beyond.