Exploring the Association between Nutritional Knowledge and Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among Young Adults: A Cross-sectional Study

Tarfa Albrahim^1,*, Rasha Alshaalan¹, Shadena I. Alhusan¹, Kholoud R. Alrasheedi¹, Halh A. Aldosari¹, Hanan M. Albarqi¹, Zainab I. Almousa¹, Khloud A. Alghamdi¹ and Ahmad Tayseer Almnaizel²

¹Department of Health Sciences, Clinical Nutrition, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

²Research Office, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

Corresponding Author E-mail: tarfa.ibrahim21@gmail.com

The major cause of death globally is chronic diseases linked to lifestyle choices, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Consuming fruits and vegetables is crucial to receiving the critical nutrients the body needs in small amounts. However, there is little knowledge of and intake of this crucial part of nutrition worldwide. The current study postulated a strong correlation between young adults in Riyadh knowledge of and consumption of fruit and vegetables. Hence, the present study aimed to investigate the knowledge of fruits and vegetables among young adults in Riyadh, to investigate the intake of fruit and vegetables among young adults in Riyadh, in addition to investigate the association between knowledge and intake of fruit and vegetables among young adults in Riyadh. The obtained results revealed that 98.3% of the 463 participants who were evaluated at baseline had adequate knowledge of fruits and vegetables, while 1.7% had inadequate knowledge. In addition, we discovered that 91.6% of participants consumed fewer fruits and vegetables than those who consumed more (2.8%). Therefore, for the greatest impact, health promotion messages should specifically target these subgroups of fruit and vegetable intake.

Diet; Eating; Fruit; Intake; Knowledge; Questionnaire; Survey; Saudi Arabia; Vegetables

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