Online Arabic Beverage Frequency Questionnaire (ABFQ): evaluation of validity and reliability.

BACKGROUND: Obesity and chronic diseases are significant public health issues in the Middle East and North Africa region. A robust body of evidence demonstrated the association between beverage consumption, obesity, and chronic diseases. Therefore, the assessment of beverage consumption is gaining more interest in health policy development, food industry partnerships, research expansion and community involvement. Although beverage-consumption assessment tools have been developed for various populations, none were developed for the Arabic population. In this study, we developed and validated an online Arabic Beverage Frequency Questionnaire (ABFQ) to assess the total beverage intake among Arabic speaking population. METHODS: A cross-sectional validation study was conducted among healthy adults aged between 18 and 55 years. Participants (n = 49) completed a 24-item ABFQ on two occasions and provided one 24-h urine sample. For validity, total beverage consumption (ABFQ1) was assessed against a 24-h urine sample using an osmolality test and correlation analysis. Reliability was assessed by comparing the participants' consumption in total and for every 24 individual items from ABFQ1 with the total and individual items in ABFQ2 using correlation and paired sample t-test. RESULTS: The average daily consumption of beverages was 1504 ml/day, while the average urine osmolality/kg was 614. The validity assessment between ABFQ and urine osmolality indicates a negative correlation. However, the correlation was week and not statistically significant (rs = -0.2, p = 0.12). In reliability test, correlation analysis was positive and acceptable in all beverage categories (rs = 0.4 - 0.9; all p < 0.05) except flavored milk (rs = 0.2; p < 0.181) and sweetened coffee (rs = 0.3; p < 0.022). Furthermore, no significant differences were found between the means of total consumption in both ABFQ1 and ABFQ2. CONCLUSIONS: The finding of this study suggest that the ABFQ is a reliable reproducible tool for assessing beverage consumption among Arabic-speaking consumers. However, the survey could not be validated using 24-h urine osmolality only and other methods such as multi dietary records may use in future re-assessment.

Consumer Behavior at Supermarkets during Grocery Shopping in Saudi Arabia: A National Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: Use of nutrition facts labels can be associated with healthier eating behaviors; however, consumers currently face difficulty understanding these labels or do not use them often. Thus, improving healthy grocery shopping behaviors among consumers might increase the overall health of the community. AIM: The study aims to explore consumers' behavior during grocery shopping and measure their basic knowledge regarding food product labels. METHOD: A national observational study (cross-sectional) was carried out on a convenience sample of Saudi Arabian residents aged 18 years and above. The data were obtained from all 13 administrative regions in Saudi Arabia at three different major supermarkets in each region. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, and binary logistic regression was used to investigate behavior variables. RESULTS: A total of 12,675 participants were observed; of those, 52.2% did not interact with the product before putting it in their shopping cart. The study found that the production date (66.6%) and expiry date (51%) were the most frequently checked aspects of food labels; they were checked more frequently than nutrition facts (29%). Furthermore, there was a low level of dietary knowledge among consumers and a moderate level of believing food packages and media claims. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the Saudi community's understanding of food product information is limited and greater awareness and community education campaigns are required to improve the use of nutritional labels and increase nutritional knowledge.

Awareness of isotretinoin use and Saudi FDA pregnancy prevention program in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study among female patients.

INTRODUCTION: Oral isotretinoin is an effective agent for the treatment of severe cystic acne. Isotretinoin is a teratogen; there is an increased risk of congenital defects in infants exposed to the drug in the uterus. The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has implemented a pregnancy prevention program (PPP) to protect females from those teratogenic effects. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the awareness of women, of reproductive age who were using Isotretinoin or used it previously, about isotretinoin use and the SFDA-approved PPP in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted during the period from June to October 2019. A questionnaire was developed based on the published literature and the PPP recommendations. The study was carried out online among female patients who were on Isotretinoin therapy or have used it previously in Riyadh city. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS for Windows, version 24) was used to analyze the study data. RESULTS: During the study period, 483 patients participated in the study. Among them, 97.3% reported that they used the drug based on a doctor's prescription, 94.6% were aware of Isotretinoin's teratogenic effect, and 30.6% confirmed their awareness of the PPP. Amongst the participants, 9.1% (n = 44) used Isotretinoin while being married or planning to get married within a one-month period after using it. Concerning the use of two contraceptive methods according to the PPP guidelines, of the participants, 43.2% reported that they have been informed by their healthcare providers to use two contraceptive methods before starting the medication. Also 43.2% reported that they have been informed to use two contraceptive methods while using the medication, and 50% reported that they have been informed to use two contraceptive methods for one month after stopping the medication. Regardless of the information they had, participants' actual practice, was as follow: 15.9% used two contraceptive methods before starting the medication, 15.9% used two contraceptive methods during the treatment, and 13.6% used two contraceptive methods for one month after stopping the medication. CONCLUSIONS: Although this study revealed that the vast majority of participants were aware of isotretinoin's teratogenic effect, still a considerable number of them had no idea about the PPP. This issue needs to greatly be addressed to minimize the risk of teratogenicity.

Saudi Arabia's Healthy Food Strategy: Progress & Hurdles in the 2030 Road.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is a leading country worldwide in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which alone can explain 73% of mortality in the country. In response to the heavy burden of NCDs, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), in collaboration with other government entities, developed a healthy food strategy (HFS) aimed at enhancing healthy lifestyles and reducing the intake of salt, sugar, saturated fatty acids (SSF) and trans fatty acids (TFA). The objectives of the HFS, to facilitate consumers' identification of SSF and reduce the SSF and TFA content in food items, were addressed in collaboration with key stakeholders in the public and private sectors of the food industry. These reforms included voluntary and mandatory schemes to display nutrition information in food and beverage establishments, display allergens on food menus, encourage the adoption of front of pack nutrient labels (FoPNLs) on food products, ban the use of partially hydrogenated oils and establish limits for sodium composition in breads and selected food products. This manuscript contextualizes the HFS and presents the results of monitoring initiatives undertaken by the SFDA to assess compliance with these reforms.