Study of the Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (KIDMED Index) in Lebanese Family Members
摘要
Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is essentially a plant-based diet model based on high consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, and legumes as the main source of fiber and antioxidant-rich ingredients. The purpose of this research is to determine how many Lebanese families follow the MedDiet. This research was conducted as part of the European Union PRIMA project SWITCHtoHEALTHY-GA 2133, “Switching Mediterranean Consumers to Mediterranean Sustainable Healthy Dietary Patterns.” To determine the MedDiet adherence of Lebanese families in 2022, a questionnaire with 5 sections and a 209 door-to-door poll was deployed. According to this study, the BMI of Lebanon’s population is 26.5%, and the country’s fast-food intake reached up to 26.3%. 10% of this population suffers from chronic illnesses like hypertension and chronic disease, and 13% have diabetes. KIDMED index is used to evaluate the adequacy of Mediterranean dietary patterns in children and youth. It is intended for children and adolescents aged from 2 to 18 years, and it is based on a scoring system of 16 questions. A score of 0–3 reflects poor adherence to the Mediterranean diet, a score of 4–7 describes medium adherence, and a score of 8–12 good adherence. The medium adherence and the high adherence of the Lebanese families are as follows: 52% and 29% within the 124 families who have only one kid, 56% and 33% within the 86 families who have two kids, 62% and 31% within the 32 families who have three kids, and 50% and 40% within the 10 families who has four kids respectively. Finally, the Lebanese families have medium to high adherence to MedDiet, with an average KIDMED index score of 6.2.