Peculiarities of population compliance with the rules of dietary nutrition for health promotion

Abstract

Aim: To study the attitude of the population of Ukraine to the rules of dietary nutrition to improve their health. Materials and Methods: The research which involved 214 respondents (38 men and 176 women) of different ages. Research methods: bibliosemantic, medical and sociological (survey), statistical. The survey was anonymous and it was conducted according to the author’s questionnaire. Results: It has been found that the 79.0 % of the respondents are unaware of the importance of dietary nutrition and its significance in promoting health, and incorrectly define the term “dietary nutrition”. It has been found that 44.0 % of the respondents are overweight, 11.0 % are obese of varying degrees; 78.0 % of the respondents consume excessive amounts of sour and pickled food, 71.5 % eat sugar and sweets, 52.8 % – fatty, smoked, and fried food, 45.3 % – bakery products, 22.9 % – fast food; only 26.0 % know about the norm of the ratio of nutrients in food and try to adhere to it. This indicates that the vast majority of the respondents have an unbalanced and chaotic diet, and do not follow dietary rules. Conclusions: Nutrition is one of the factors influencing public health. An optimal healthy diet can improve human health and prevent most non-communicable diseases. The results of the research can be used in the course of outreach and awareness-raising activities by public health professionals to prevent chronic non-communicable diseases among the population.