Self Reported Nutritional Knowledge Among Primary Care Attendees in Al-Qatif, Eastern Saudi Arabia

Introduction: During the past few decades, enormous changes in lifestyle were noted worldwide. Those changes were accompanied by sedentary lifestyle and adopting unhealthy food intake. Major morbidity and mortality nowadays are related to diabetes, hypertension and obesity, which are directly related to nutritional knowledge. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine self-reported nutritional knowledge among primary health care centers (PHCCs) attendees in Al-Qatif district, Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and identify related factors. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. A simple random sample from three PHCCs in Al-Qatif was selected and 400 subjects were randomly enrolled. Data was collected using a validated questionnaire by interviewing the subjects. Analysis was done using SPSS version 16. Results: Nearly 98% of the sample was between 15-59 years old. More than half of the sample (229; 57.3%) had satisfactory knowledge about the healthy cooking oil. Around two-thirds (279; 69.8%) regarded baking or boiling as the healthiest method of cooking. Only 51.3% (205) admitted drinking more than six cups of water per day. Approximately 74% of the study population (297) had satisfactory nutritional knowledge. Conclusions and Recommendations: In general, the knowledge of the attendees was adequate. Major areas of deficiency included the healthy type of cooking oil, frequency of milk intake, and the appropriate daily water consumption. It is recommended to conduct similar studies in different areas of the region in addition to campaigns to promote awareness and change attitudes.