Abstract
The objective of this study was to examine the awareness, knowledge, and habits regarding dietary fiber intake and to analyze its relationship with self-reported health status among Saudi adults. A survey-based study using face-to-face interview was designed, and 1363 apparently healthy adult Saudi males and females participated. Most participants were females (81.2%), aged 25 and above (87.2%), and were educated at least up to the secondary level of education (80.8%). The majority of the participants were aware of the role of fiber-rich foods in health conditions such as obesity (70.5%), cardiovascular diseases (68.9%), and regulation of blood sugar (68.9%), with females significantly having higher nutrition knowledge than males. A disconnect in translating this nutrition knowledge was observed particularly in food choices when eating out, where preferences for white bread (84.4%), fried potatoes (69.9%) and peeled fruits (60.6%) were significantly higher than preferences for cooked vegetables (29.6%) and brown bread (18.1%). The most common reason for this disconnect was due to perception that foods rich in dietary fibers were expensive (72.1%), have less health benefits (56.5%), were not readily available (51.6%), and participants’ disliking of the taste (52.8%). Participants in the highest quartile (Q4) for dietary fiber consumption reported a lower prevalence of constipation (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval of 0.40, 0.28–0.57, p < 0.01), high cholesterol (0.43, 0.27–0.68, p < 0.01) and obesity (0.67, 0.44–0.98, p = 0.03) than participants in the lowest quartile (Q1). Dietary fiber intake appears to be protective against constipation, high cholesterol and obesity in Saudi adults. However, a disparity observed between knowledge and attitude towards intake of dietary fibers could limit its health benefits. Further studies including adolescents should be conducted to impart knowledge on the emotional, cognitive and sensory factors related to food choices in order to minimize the gap between nutrition knowledge and the consumption of healthy high-fiber diets.
Highlights
Balanced dietary habits and a healthy lifestyle play important roles in every stage of human life, and may prove beneficial for the prevention and even treatment of some diseases [1]
Pistachios and almonds were the preferred forms of nuts; dried pineapple, dried dates and raisins were the preferred forms of dried fruits; while in legumes, fava beans and yellow lentils were consumed more than Libya beans
This study showed that conditions—especially constipation, high cholesterol and obesity—were significantly andhealth inversely associated with the constipation, high cholesterol and obesity—were significantly and inversely associated with the consumption of Dietary fiber (DF)
Summary
Balanced dietary habits and a healthy lifestyle play important roles in every stage of human life, and may prove beneficial for the prevention and even treatment of some diseases [1]. Dietary fiber (DF) is one such element in a balanced diet and refers to the edible portion of the heterogeneous mixture of plant foods polysaccharides and lignin, which are resistant to absorption and digestion in the small intestine [2,3]. They are analogous to carbohydrates, provide bulk in the diet and aid in proper gastrointestinal (GI). The major food sources of DF includes wholegrain cereals, legumes, fruits and vegetables and their contribution to dietary fiber has been reported as 50%, 30–40%, and 16%, respectively [5].
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