Determinants for Mediterranean diet adherence beyond the boundaries: a cross-sectional study from Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates
- PMID: 38807139
- PMCID: PMC11134895
- DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-05172-0
Determinants for Mediterranean diet adherence beyond the boundaries: a cross-sectional study from Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates
Abstract
Background: Substantial evidence embraced the nutrition competence of the Mediterranean diet (MD) as a healthy model for decreasing the risk of chronic diseases and increasing longevity, with the bonus of ensuring environmental sustainability. Measuring adherence to this diet is marginally investigated in the Arabian Gulf region, an area away from the Mediterranean region. The current study aimed to assess the MD adherence among adults in Sharjah/the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and to identify the most influential predictors for MD adherence among the study participants.
Methods: A cross-sectional study design was employed using a self-reported, web-based electronic questionnaire that questioned sociodemographics, lifestyle factors, and familiarity with the MD. The MD adherence was assessed by the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener validated questionnaire. The adherence level was classified as low for a total score of [0-5], medium [score 6-7], and high (8-13).
Results: The study included 1314 participants (age 25-52 years) comprised 822 (62.6%) females and 492 (37.4%) males. There was a moderate adherence score (5.9 ± 1.9) among the study participants. The food constituent expressed the lowest contribution to the MD was fish (9.3%), followed by fruits (12.3%), and legumes (18.3%). The multivariable linear regression analysis showed an overall significant linear trend for the association between the MD adherence score and physical activity, while nutrition information from dietitians and social media were the most two strongly related predictors for the higher adherence (β = 0.747; 95% CI 0.51-0.98, and β 0.60; 95% CI 0.269-0.93; p < 0.001, respectively). On the other side, being a smoker and from a non-Mediterranean country was associated with lower adherence scores (β = 0.538; 95% CI 0.252-0.82, p < 0.001).
Conclusion: The findings of the current study showed a moderate adherence, low proportion for high adherence, and a gap in the familiarity with the diet name. Being married, physically active, non-smoker, and getting nutrition information from dietitians and social media were the strongest predictors for higher adherence. It is warranted that public health and nutrition specialists/dietitians to tailor new modern approaches for promoting healthy dietary behaviours consistent with the MD.
Keywords: Dietitians; Mediterranean diet; Nutrition knowledge; Social media.
© 2024. The Author(s).
Conflict of interest statement
The authors have no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.
Figures
Similar articles
-
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Mediterranean diet adherence: A narrative systematic review.Nutr Health. 2024 Jun;30(2):215-233. doi: 10.1177/02601060231187511. Epub 2023 Jul 12. Nutr Health. 2024. PMID: 37439029 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and its association with environmental footprints among women of childbearing age in the United Arab Emirates.Eur J Nutr. 2022 Aug;61(5):2585-2599. doi: 10.1007/s00394-022-02835-w. Epub 2022 Mar 1. Eur J Nutr. 2022. PMID: 35229167
-
Determinants of Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Study in Women from Southern Italy.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Aug 17;16(16):2963. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16162963. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019. PMID: 31426512 Free PMC article.
-
Ten-Year Trends (1999-2010) of Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet among the Balearic Islands' Adult Population.Nutrients. 2017 Jul 14;9(7):749. doi: 10.3390/nu9070749. Nutrients. 2017. PMID: 28708083 Free PMC article.
-
Challenges to the Mediterranean diet at a time of economic crisis.Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2016 Dec;26(12):1057-1063. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2016.07.005. Epub 2016 Jul 12. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2016. PMID: 27524802 Review.
References
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Miscellaneous