Knowledge and perception of the ketogenic diet followers among Arab adults in seventeen countries

Alhaj, Omar A.; Elsahoryi, Nour Amin; Athamneh, Ahmad M. Al; Wishah, Manar; Alenezi, Ahmad F.; Humood, Ali; Janahi, Abdulrahman I.; Altouq, Noor; Jahrami, Haitham

doi:10.1016/j.obmed.2021.100354

Cited by 4 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…It could be that students of health-related majors have access to professional guidance and reliable information about the KD from their senior mates, mentors, and doctors, and therefore are expected to have a better commitment to the diet in comparison to their counterparts from the general population. Nevertheless, our findings are consistent with the results of D’Agostino [ 12 ] and Alhaj et al [ 17 ] in which the majority of participants (about 66%) were able to continue the diet for a period of time less than a month, yet only a minority (about 5%) reported following the diet for a period of time longer than 6 months. The duration of KD use was not assessed in the study conducted in Jazan, Saudi Arabia.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…This prevalence is not completely in line with a multinational study that included 17 Arabic countries and Saudi Arabia was 1 of them. [ 17 ] Their results showed that 72% (from 1292 participants) were currently following the KD and 20% have previously followed the KD. The different results may be due to the variation in the statistical approach, the inclusion of 17 countries with different habits and cultures.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These findings oppose the results of some studies. [ 11 , 17 ] Alhaj et al [ 17 ] found the overall knowledge level to be generally good among Arab adults in seventeen countries. Although their study had a larger number of participants than this study, no detailed information was provided on how many Saudi adults were in the study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A prevalidated questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge and perception of the KD. [ 12 , 17 ] The questionnaire was used in 2 languages (Arabic and English). It was translated and revised from English to Arabic by 2 researchers (AH and EN) using a forward–backward translation method.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Answers to the perception questions were given either positive or negative perception. [17] Three perception questions were reverse coded meaning if participants answered strongly agree they were given negative values. The questions were: I believe the KD guidelines, in my opinion, are too high in fat and low in protein and carbohydrates; I believe the KD is risky (it raises a person's risk of diseases like cardiovascular disease and diabetes); and I believe people on the KD are at risk of nutritional deficiencies.…”

Section: Assessment Of Kd Knowledge and Perception Scoresmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Usage, knowledge and perception of the ketogenic diet and associated factors in Saudi adults: A cross-sectional study

Alhassani,

Noorwali

2024

Medicine

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The ketogenic diet (KD) is a popular weight management method. However, knowledge, perceptions, and use of KD have not been studied in the Saudi population. This cross-sectional study aims to assess the knowledge, perceptions, and use of the KD in Saudi Arabia, to compare medical and nonmedical students in their awareness of KD, and to determine factors associated with knowledge and perception of KD. A total of 1071 Saudis aged ≥ 18 years old were included. Participants were excluded if they were younger than 18, non-Saudi, pregnant, breastfeeding, had chronic illnesses, were using any medication, or were diagnosed with psychiatric conditions. Knowledge, perception, and use of KD were collected between 2021 and 2022 in Saudi Arabia using a prevalidated tool and its scoring protocol; higher scores indicated higher level of knowledge or perception. Among Saudi adults, 24% (n = 253) and 55% of them (n = 138/253) followed the KD for 1 month or less, respectively. The KD knowledge score was mean ± SD: 7.95 ± 3.97 and half of the participants (49.5%) had a low knowledge level. Students had a significantly lower knowledge score (mean ± SD: 7.69 ± 3.85) compared to nonstudents (mean ± SD: 8.68 ± 4.19). Students in medical majors had a higher knowledge score compared to nonmedical major students (P < .001). The KD perception score was mean ± SD: 28.74 ± 4.83 and 76% of the participants had moderate perception level. Males had a significantly higher perception score compared to females (P < .001). Students in medical majors had a lower perception score compared to nonmedical major students. Age and body mass index had a significantly weak positive correlation with knowledge and perception scores. Half of the sample had low knowledge and moderate level of perception about KD. Students with medical majors had higher knowledge but lower perception scores compared to nonmedical majors. Dieticians may measure the knowledge and perception of the KD diet in outpatient clinics to lose weight. Educational institutions may increase students’ knowledge and perception of the KD in all majors. Future experimental studies examining the efficacy of the KD are needed to provide recommendations of the KD as a strategy for weight loss.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Assessment Of Kd Knowledge and Perception Scoresmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Usage, knowledge and perception of the ketogenic diet and associated factors in Saudi adults: A cross-sectional study

Alhassani,

Noorwali

2024

Medicine

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Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) towards ketogenic Diet and its risk among Bangladeshi Population: A Cross Sectional Study

Tanha,

Chandra,

Haque

et al. 2023

Preprint

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In recent years, the ketogenic diet has become more popular in Bangladesh. Despite the potential negative effects, people are increasingly embracing and adjusting to this diet. Accounting for this manner, the current study addresses a gap that has existed as no research has been done on grown-up adults’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices about the ketogenic diet and its possible risks. To assess their Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of the Ketogenic Diet and its risks, a descriptive cross-sectional study of the adult Bangladeshi population was carried out. A number of questions were asked to participants regarding their demographics, sources of dietary knowledge, attitudes toward the diet, understanding of the Ketogenic Diet, and views on it. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Out of 383 participants, women (63.20%) and people under the age of 30 (68.15%) dominated the study. 359 (93.70%) of the participants reported having inadequate knowledge about the ketogenic diet. Around 43.42% of Participants who ever followed KD were assessed to have a healthy BMI. The results revealed a significant association between respondents’ perceptions of KD as a typical weight loss treatment and their knowledge score. Social media was the main source of information for followers (60.53%), while peers were the source of information for 30.26% of respondents. Participants who ever followed the ketogenic diet were less aware of its risks and often considered it safe to follow for a long period believing its benefits outweighed any possible drawbacks. The findings of the current study suggest that Bangladeshis are not well-informed about the therapeutic applications of the ketogenic diet. It appears that pre-diet counselling is essential for everyone to understand every component and proper approach for following this diet.

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Insight about the Body Mass Index among School Students during COVID-19 Pandemic

Alfaleh,

Alkattan,

Almutairi

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background: Several reports indicate that long stay at home for online schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic changed the normal physical activity and body weight of school-age students. Previous studies revealed that almost 50% of school students complained of increased or decreased more than 3 kg of weight due to lower physical activity. This study aims to provide insight about the Body Mass Index (BMI) among school students during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A retrospective matched-longitudinal study was conducted in 2022 based on previous data about BMI-for-age percentile in school-age students aged 6 to 18 years. These data were collected the year before and during COVID-19 pandemic (2019-2021). Results: All the included students were Arabic (N = 53,580) and were not diagnosed with chronic illness. The outcomes showed that the overall percentage of students with normal weight was 54%, 56%, and 53% during the 2019-2021 years, respectively. Overweight among students increased during the COVID-19 pandemic years, as almost 10% of the students were overweight in 2019 compared with 12% in 2020 and 2021 years. Besides, obese students also increased in the 2020-2021 period compared with the 2019 year (15-17% vs. 10%). In contrast, underweight trends among students declined, as 26% reported in 2019 compared to 17-18% in 2020 and 2021. Conclusion: There are significant variations in Arabic school-age students regarding their BMI values. Obesity was highly detected among children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic years compared to 2019, while underweight cases declined.

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Knowledge and perception of the ketogenic diet followers among Arab adults in seventeen countries

Cited by 4 publications

References 35 publications

Usage, knowledge and perception of the ketogenic diet and associated factors in Saudi adults: A cross-sectional study

Usage, knowledge and perception of the ketogenic diet and associated factors in Saudi adults: A cross-sectional study

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) towards ketogenic Diet and its risk among Bangladeshi Population: A Cross Sectional Study

Insight about the Body Mass Index among School Students during COVID-19 Pandemic

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