El Hajj Marianne, Abou Chaaya Jennifer, Abou Chaaya Jessica, Tueni Maya
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Public Health Lebanese University Fanar Lebanon.
Department on Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine American University of Beirut Medical Centre Beirut Lebanon.
Food Sci Nutr. 2024 May 19;12(8):5694-5707. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.4211. eCollection 2024 Aug.
Lebanon is a country in the Middle East that had been witnessing nutrition transition to a westernized diet high in trans fats (TFs) and saturated fatty acids (TFAs) that had been linked to cardiovascular diseases and many other health issues. This study examines TF-related awareness, knowledge, and self-reported behaviors among a sample of Lebanese adults aged between 18 and 64 years, as well as their association with sociodemographic factors and anthropometric measurements. Using a multicomponent questionnaire, a cross-sectional study was conducted online, across all Lebanese regions based on a convenience sampling method ( = 401). Factors associated with TF-related awareness, knowledge, and behaviors were examined by multivariate linear regression analysis. The study highlighted specific gaps in TF-related awareness, knowledge, and behavioral practices as well as differences by sociodemographic factors. Most of the participants (36%) had heard of partly hydrogenated oils (PHOs) rather than TFs (49%). A higher proportion of respondents (54%) said they understood a little about TFs, the majority had inadequate knowledge about the foods that contain TFs, and 44% said they would not give up eating their favorite snack even if they knew it contains TFs. Overall, consumers' awareness and knowledge about TFs are rather low and the majority had fair behavioral practices. In addition, being a woman and having higher education level were significantly associated with higher levels of TFs awareness, knowledge, and behavior scores. Higher behavior scores were shown in older participants, married, and those who had part-time jobs, whereas having higher income and normal weight were significantly associated with higher awareness scores. These findings offer valuable insight into TF-related awareness, knowledge, and behaviors in a sample of Lebanese adults and provide key information that could spur the development of evidence-based TFs reduction interventions specific to the Middle East.
黎巴嫩是中东的一个国家，一直在经历营养转型，转向富含反式脂肪（TFs）和饱和脂肪酸（TFAs）的西式饮食，而这些与心血管疾病和许多其他健康问题有关。本研究调查了年龄在18至64岁之间的黎巴嫩成年人样本中与反式脂肪相关的意识、知识和自我报告行为，以及它们与社会人口统计学因素和人体测量指标的关联。采用多成分问卷，基于便利抽样方法在黎巴嫩所有地区进行了一项在线横断面研究（n = 401）。通过多元线性回归分析研究了与反式脂肪相关的意识、知识和行为的相关因素。该研究突出了反式脂肪相关意识、知识和行为实践方面的特定差距以及社会人口统计学因素造成的差异。大多数参与者（36%）听说过部分氢化油（PHOs），而非反式脂肪（49%）。更高比例的受访者（54%）表示对反式脂肪有所了解，大多数人对含有反式脂肪的食物了解不足，44%的人表示即使知道自己最喜欢的零食含有反式脂肪也不会放弃食用。总体而言，消费者对反式脂肪的意识和知识相当低，大多数人的行为实践尚可。此外，女性和较高的教育水平与更高的反式脂肪意识、知识和行为得分显著相关。年龄较大的参与者、已婚者以及从事兼职工作的人行为得分较高，而较高的收入和正常体重与较高的意识得分显著相关。这些发现为黎巴嫩成年人样本中与反式脂肪相关的意识、知识和行为提供了有价值的见解，并提供了关键信息，可推动针对中东地区的循证反式脂肪减少干预措施的制定。
