Assessment of dietary practices and knowledge regarding dietary prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases among women aged 30 - 40 years in a rural block in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India: A community based cross sectional study

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: 1. To measure per capita consumption of salt, sugar and oil among rural women aged 30-40 years and to measure dietary intake of fruits and vegetables and calories. 2. To study the factors associated with unhealthy dietary practices (sociodemographic, dietary, knowledge) and effects of dietary practices on hypertension, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and overweight. METHODS: A cross sectional survey was done using WHO STEPS questionnaire and 24 hr diet recall among women aged 30-40 years in two villages of Kaniyambadi, Vellore district, which will also serve as a baseline assessment for a dietary intervention program. Associations between categorical variables was assessed using chi-square tests and odds ratios, followed by multivariate logistic regression to adjust for confounding factors. Means were reported with standard deviation, while median values were reported when the distribution was non-normal. RESULTS: It was found that around 99% of the study population consumed < five daily servings of fruits and vegetables. The median per capita daily salt intake was 12.9 gm per day, while the proportion of total daily calories obtained from carbohydrates was 75.5%. The median calorie intake was 1833.68 kcal. Among the study subjects 52.5 % were found to have abdominal obesity, 15% had impaired fasting blood glucose (≥ 110 mg/dl) and 30.7% had metabolic syndrome. The percent of women who considered fruits and vegetables as protective for non-communicable diseases was less than 10%. Working outside the home was associated with higher salt intake (≥ 9 gm/day). CONCLUSIONS: The low intake of fruits and vegetables, high intake of salt, high proportion of carbohydrates and low knowledge regarding dietary prevention of non-communicable diseases are factors which need to be considered in planning of health education and primordial prevention programs targeting rural women