Assessment of food-related knowledge and preferred awareness methods by the Saudi community: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Food safety and healthy food are linked to each other: to be healthy, people must eat nourishing food that doesn't carry foodborne diseases (FBDs). The spread of FBDs can negatively impact a country's socioeconomic growth and development and put pressure on its healthcare services, while nutritional status among residents is a key indicator of a country's health status and its patterns of morbidity. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess food-related knowledge in terms of food safety and healthy food among the Saudi population, as well as to assess preferences and interests regarding food related topics and awareness methods and channels.

METHODS

Data were collected from 1,920 Saudi participants via phone-based interviews. The study instrument consisted of five sections: sociodemographic characteristics, community interest regarding food topics, food safety knowledge, healthy food knowledge, and preferred awareness methods and channels.

RESULTS

The study sample was 69.0% male, and 54.3% of respondents were between 30 and 44 years old. The average for total food-related knowledge score was 5.37 ± 1.75 indicating poor knowledge among the study participants. Gender and education level significantly associated with food-related knowledge scores (P < 0.05). Within this Saudi community, the Food poisoning (42.81%) and Calories (26.51%) topics were identified the most interesting food-related topics. X (formerly twitter) (34.41%) and short video clips (45.05%) were the most commonly preferred methods for receipt of food-related awareness messages.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the Saudi community has insufficient food related knowledge despite high interest in food-related topics. Targeted awareness programs offered through preferred awareness channels and methods are thus recommended to promote healthy eating and improve the quality of life in Saudi Arabia.