Abstract
(1) Background: The food exchange system was developed to serve as an educational tool in helping individuals plan their own meals. This study aimed to develop a friendly-user food exchange list for individuals with a low literacy level; (2) Methods: A two-group, pre-test/post-test research study aimed to develop a friendly-user food exchange list for individuals with a low literacy level. Thirty female workers of low literacy were recruited. Participants were divided into two groups. Group one was taught how to use the standard exchange system, while group two was taught how to use the modified exchange system. Each participant was assigned a task of prepare a meal with a specified caloric content and macronutrient distribution. The task was assigned before and after the exchange list education session. Groups’ differences were tested using the chi-square test, and the analysis of variance (ANOVA); (3) Results: A higher percentage of participants in group two were able to plan daily diets that achieved the recommendations of fruits (p = 0.02), protein (p = 0.03), dairy (p < 0.001), carbohydrates (p < 0.001), and calories (p < 0.001). Moreover, diet plans prepared by group two had a higher healthy eating index (p < 0.001) when compared to diet plans prepared by group one. The modified exchange lists are a friendly-user tool that can be implemented for individuals with low literacy, since it relies on visual techniques.
Highlights
Known as chronic diseases, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), diabetes, and cancer, affect people in the long term [1]
The conventional exchange system divides the amounts of carbohydrates between meals, and patients should plan their meals according to the quantities of carbohydrates they are allowed to consume
A total of 32 female workers at Qatar University (QU) agreed to participate in both meetings (Table 1)
Summary
Known as chronic diseases, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), diabetes, and cancer, affect people in the long term [1]. A healthy, balanced diet has shown to reduce the risk of NCDs [3]. The food exchange system was developed to serve as an educational tool helping individuals plan their own meals. It is based on the nutritional value of different items, which can be interchanged with one another to offer a wide variety of choices in the diet [4]. The system is as useful as the standard meal planning approach, because it provides users with a wide variety of choices from which they can plan their own healthy and balanced diet [5]
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