Abstract

Background: People tend to follow specific dietary patterns that might pose a risk on that might threaten their health, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The aim is to identify the food consumption patterns of the adult population living in the Makkah region to identify higher-risk groups. Until today, no research has been done in this area.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2017 and March 2018 on 895 healthy males and females from Makkah, aged 19 to 60 years. A structured questionnaire includes socio-demographic status, and 24-hour sheets of dietary intake have been measured. Results were analyzed by SPSS to present the dietary patterns using factor analysis. Principle component analysis (PCA) was the chosen technique. Data are presented as mean and SD.
Results: Females were found to consume three dietary patterns: 1) close to healthy eating; 2) a group that eats sweets and carbohydrates but not fruits and vegetables; and 3) a group of high meat and sweet consumers without fruits and grains. Meanwhile, males had two patterns: 1) traditional and 2) almost healthy (no grain). In this population, dietary guidelines like the Saudi Palm Guidelines or the American Dietary Association have not been followed. 
Conclusion: The study showed that in Makkah females had more unhealthy dietary patterns than men. Traditional dietary patterns with high loadings of fat, grains, meat, beans, and discretionary calories occurred predominantly in men.

Keywords

Dietary patterns, Dietary guidelines, Saudi palm guidelines 24-Hour-recall, Food consumption, Makkah

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