Assessment of nutrition facts label utilization and macro-nutrient intake among patients with chronic diseases in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate and compare nutritional label use, influencing factors, and macro-nutrient intake among individuals with chronic diseases and other healthy individuals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Design: A cross-sectional study in KSA. Participants: N = 380 males/females aged 18–50 years, healthy and others with chronic diseases. Variables measured: Data were collected using a self-reported questionnaire containing chronic disease factors, label use behavior factors and three 24-h dietary recalls. Analysis: Several statistical tests were used, including the Chi-square (ᵪ2), the Independent Sample T-test, the ANOVA test, and Pearson's correlation with p-value ≤0.05. Results: More chronic disease patients (56.1 %), especially hypercholesterolemia patients, than healthy individuals (43.9 %) reported that they checked and used the information on the nutritional fact labels. All the chronic disease patients consumed less than the recommended nutrient intake (RNI) for carbohydrates and fiber. However, the protein and total fat intake were more than the RNI. The highest intake was among diabetes/at risk of diabetes patients, with an average of 1710.9 kcal. Conclusions: The present study concluded that chronic disease patients tend to demonstrate superior behaviour in reading food labels compared to those who are healthy. Thus, healthy individuals would benefit from reading the label information, possibly reducing their risk of developing chronic disease.

Keywords

• Nutritional fact label
• Calorie label
• Behavior
• Chronic diseases