The palm or the plate? An assessment of dietary guideline promotion, awareness, and preferences among Saudis: cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Background Dietary Guidelines for Saudis are offered and promoted in two forms: the Healthy Food Palm and the Saudi Healthy Plate. However, public awareness, recognition, and engagement with these guidelines is not well studied. Understanding the factors behind dietary guideline promotion, awareness, recognition, and use may lead to greater optimization of and engagement with the guidelines. This study aims to assess recognition of and public engagement with the My Palm and My Plate dietary guidelines as well as dietary guideline awareness, perceptions, and preferences among Saudis. Methods To compare awareness, knowledge, and usability between the Healthy Food Palm and the Saudi Healthy Plate dietary guidelines, a cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted among Saudi adult males and females above 18 (n = 674) between October 2021 and January 2022. Participants were split into groups based on age and gender. T-test and χ2 tests were used to determine differences between groups for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Results Most participants were unaware of the Healthy Food Palm and the Saudi Healthy Plate guidelines, with only 11.1% and 30.3% able to recognize guideline-associated visual illustrations, respectively. However, nearly half of the participants correctly identified the number of food groups in the Healthy Food Palm and Saudi Healthy Plate. As well, more than half of the sample preferred the Saudi Healthy Plate, while one-quarter of the sample preferred neither guideline. In terms of future public health promotion, participants identified that “convenience and availability” (29.6%) and “my own health” (28.6%) were the most influential dietary choice factors with “social media campaigns” (2.4%) and the involvement of “an influencer” (3.1%) being the least influential dietary choice factors. Conclusions Implementation of and public awareness of dietary guidelines is less than optimal, and opportunities exist for greater information dissemination and public engagement. Measurement and ongoing evaluation of public dietary guideline awareness and use and a more in-depth understanding of dietary choice influences and behaviors are important considerations for dietary guideline development and promotion.

Is Adherence to the Saudi Healthy Plate Dietary Guidelines Associated with Eating Concerns Symptoms among Saudi Young Females?

“…This could be due to a lack of awareness regarding FBDGs. Alnasser (2023) found that the majority of participants were not aware of both FBDGs outlined in the SHPDGs and the HFP; just a small percentage of participants were familiar with those guidelines by name only, while others recognized them primarily through visual illustrations [56]. It is important to note that the recognition of names and images does not necessarily correlate with the comprehension or understanding of the guidelines themselves [56].…”

“…Alnasser (2023) found that the majority of participants were not aware of both FBDGs outlined in the SHPDGs and the HFP; just a small percentage of participants were familiar with those guidelines by name only, while others recognized them primarily through visual illustrations [56]. It is important to note that the recognition of names and images does not necessarily correlate with the comprehension or understanding of the guidelines themselves [56]. There are many barriers to a healthy diet among young adults, including unhealthy diets of family and friends, the widespread prevalence of unhealthy foods, sometimes at a relatively low cost, lack of knowledge and skills to prepare healthy foods, unhealthy snacking, stress eating, high prices of healthy foods, easy access to junk food, and, more importantly, a lack of motivation to eat healthily [28,57].…”

Does Awareness of Malaysian Healthy Plate Associate with Adequate Fruit and Vegetable Intake among Malaysian Adults with Non-Communicable Diseases?

“…In a cross-sectional study assessing the promotion, awareness, and preferences of dietary guidelines among Saudi adults, it was reported that approximately 15% of the respondents were aware of the Saudi Healthy Eating Plate, and roughly 4.5% consumed five portions of fruits and vegetables daily. However, the study did not further investigate the relationship between awareness of the healthy eating plate and FV intake [35]. Another cross-sectional survey, along with in-depth interviews, aimed to assess the factors associated with meeting the healthy plate recommendation.…”

Self-Perceived Nutritional Competency of Primary Healthcare Physicians in Qassim, Saudi Arabia

“…Although SA diet guidelines exist, most Saudis have unhealthy dietary habits, and the young population's consumption of refined food, meat, and sugar-sweetened beverages was high. Even more, dietary habits changed significantly during the COVID pandemic in SA; there was a 21% increase in consumption of 1 1 carbohydrates and 13% higher fat consumption, increased intake of coffee and snacks, and less consumption of fruits and vegetables [15][16][17].…”