Nazli Nur ASLAN
Ankara University, Turkey
Title: Evaluation of adaptation of adults between 20-64 years old to Mediterranean diet
Biography
Biography: Nazli Nur ASLAN
Abstract
It is known that nutrition, especially the Mediterranean diet, is important in the prevention and development of diseases. The aim of this study is to assess the adaptation of adult individuals to the Mediterranean diet. This study was conducted with 400 adult individuals in two cities of Central Anatolia in Turkey (Ankara and Konya). The data were collected with a questionnaire consisting of general information, dietary habits of the participants and Mediterranean Diet Compliance questions and evaluated with appropriate statistical analysis. 63.7% (n=255) of the participants included in the study were female and 36.3% (n=145) of the participants were male. The mean age of the individuals was 28.9±11.0 years and 78.0% were university graduates. 63.4% of the adults stated that they did not smoke and 84.0% stated that they did not consume alcoholic beverages. When the nutritional habits of the individuals were examined, it was determined that 74.5% of them had three main meals per day and the most frequently skipped meal was breakfast (66.8%). It was determined that 55.2% of the individuals consumed sweetened beverages and 54.8% of the consumers consumed more than ≥3 sweetened beverages per week. The median upper middle arm circumference of the individuals was 26.0 cm and the Body Mass Index (BMI) was 22.8 kg/m2. Mean score of the Mediterranean Diet Compliance Scale of the participants was 7.1±1.9. 71.8% of the females and 59.3% of the males had the medium diet score and the difference between the Mediterranean Diet Scale according to gender was statistically significant (p<0.05). The frequency of consumption of sweetened beverages as increased, Mediterranean Diet score was found to decrease significantly (p<0.05). BMI of those with a good diet score was lower than those with a bad diet score (p <0.05). The inclusion of the Mediterranean diet in the planning of obesity nutrition therapy is expected to have a positive impact on the development of body weight control strategies. Paying attention to the same cutting points in studies using Mediterranean Diet Compliance Scales will provide more accurate results when comparing the studies to be conducted.