Abstract: Objective To determine dietary patterns of residents in Guangdong Province and explore its relationship with overweight and obesity. Methods Using stratified cluster random sampling method, 14 counties/districts in Guangdong Province were selected as surveillance sites. Then 3 towns （streets） were randomly selected from each surveillance site, 2 village committees were randomly selected from each town/streets, and finally 45 eligible residents were selected from each village committee for the survey. The survey contents included personal health status, medical examination and diet. Factor analysis was used to analyze the dietary patterns and the relationship between dietary patterns and overweight/obesity. Results A total of 3 495 adult residents were investigated, and their ages were from 18 to 91 years, with an average age of （52.0 ± 15.0） years. The male to female sex ratio was 1∶0.85. Of the participants, 3 467 （99.2%） were Han nationality, 1 662 （47.6%） had the educational level at junior or senior high school, and 3 168 （90.6%） married. The BMI was （23.4 ± 3.5）. Four main dietary patterns were determined, i.e., the condiment diet pattern （20.0%）, traditional diet pattern （29.6%）,fruit-vegetable and egg-milk diet pattern （24.8%） and wine-beverage and aquatic product diet pattern （25.5%）. The BMI, waist circumference and obesity rates were the lowest among the male adults taking the traditional dietary pattern （P< 0.05 or P< 0.01）.The waist circumference and central obesity rates of the female adults taking the traditional dietary pattern and the fruit-vegetable and egg-milk diet pattern were lower （P<0.05 or P<0.01）.Conclusion The traditional diet pattern and fruit-vegetable and egg-milk diet pattern may be related to a lower body mass index, waist circumference and obesity rate. Hence, these dietary patterns are recommended in the prevention of overweight and obesity.

Key words: Dietary pattern, Overweight, Obesity, Nutrition survey