Adherence to Pakistan dietary guidelines, Findings from major cities of Pakistan

BackgroundPakistan dietary guidelines for better nutrition were developed to cater the local need and prevent nutritional deficiency by providing information to public about healthy eating practices. AimsTo assess the level of adherence to Pakistan Dietary Guidelines for Better Nutrition (PDGN) MethodsIt was a community based study conducted in five cities with two stage stratified sampling approach. Total of 448 participants were interviewed using Food frequency questionnaire adapted to local context. Five food groups (proteins, cereals, dairy, vegetables and fruits) were taken as per country guidelines. A score point of 1 was given to each food group making a total of 5 scores. Data were analyzed using SPSS. ResultsOverall adherence to PDGN was poor as none of the participants had 05 score while only 1% achieved score 04. However, adherence was more in females (B = 0.45, 95%CI = 0.24; 0.66), graduates (B = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.25; 0.64), unmarried (B = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.18; 0.43), unemployed (B = 0.22, 95% CI = 0.01-0.43) and aged >50 years (B = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.08; 0.60) as compared to others. Among food groups, mean intake of cereals (carbohydrates) was high (3.38{+/-}1.39) followed by other items with fruits was least (0.76{+/-}0.91). Overall, at least one serving of discretionary food was taken by participants which was more female gender (p= 0.001), graduates (p= 0.003), high socio-economic group (p=0.001) and employed persons (p= 0.04). ConclusionThe adherence to PDGN was poor and there is a need to bring behavior change by information education and communication to the society.