Abstract
This cross-sectional online survey aimed to determine the awareness of Arab adults on the benefits of consuming nutrient-dense foods, such as kale. A total of 1200 respondents completed the survey. The questionnaire included questions related to socio-economic information, e.g., whether the participants have consumed kale, if they observed any health effects, and 13 other questions to test their knowledge on this superfood. Only 276 (23%) of the participants had previously consumed kale, with 64.5% reporting favorable health outcomes, the most common of which was weight reduction, and only 17.8% reporting side effects, such as constipation and gastrointestinal irritation. From the 13 kale knowledge questions, the average total knowledge score, scaled from 0 to 10, was 3.5 and 3.7 for males and females, respectively. The regression analysis revealed that age, income, and educational status were significant contributors for predicting better knowledge scores, as older individuals with a higher income and higher education scored higher (odds ratio of 2.96, 2.00 and 4.58, respectively). To summarize, there is a dearth of awareness about kale and its health benefits in Saudi Arabia. Kale should be promoted as a super food in all segments, particularly among the younger, lower-income, and less-educated sections of the population.
Highlights
Obesity is a global issue, as nearly half of the world’s population aged 18 years or older is either overweight (39%) or obese (13%) [1]
Over the last few decades, a nutritional transition in Saudi Arabia has been an important factor in the ever-increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease [29,30]
The overall average knowledge score obtained by the participants was 3.5 and 3.7 among the males and females, respectively, which indicated a low level of awareness of kale and its health benefits in the adult Saudi population
Summary
Obesity is a global issue, as nearly half of the world’s population aged 18 years or older is either overweight (39%) or obese (13%) [1]. One of the leading causes of obesity in the recent decades has been the increasing consumption of calorie-dense foods, which are rich in refined sugars, carbohydrates, and fats [2,3] These foods are highly processed, manufactured from a few key ingredients, and, devoid of the necessary nutritional components, resulting in an excess of sugars and fats in the body, and increasing micronutrient deficiencies [4]. This nutritional transition over the last few decades has been an important factor in the ever-increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, stroke, hypertension, dyslipidemia, osteoarthritis, etc., which, together, result in an estimated 36 million deaths each year [5,6,7].
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