Measuring community awareness about the nutritional facts in fast food in the united arab emirates: A cross-sectional study

Background/Aim: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the percentage of overweight and obese people in UAE in 2016 was 70.6% and 34.5% respectively. Current evidence links obesity to unhealthy eating habits. This study aims to assess the awareness of nutritional information about fast food among adults in the UAE. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 462 subjects aged 18 and above through an interview or a self-administered questionnaire. A pilot study was conducted on 15 subjects and necessary changes were done to the questionnaire. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS 25. Frequency and percentage of subjects correctly identifying the caloric content and harms and diseases associated with the consumption of each type of fast food were calculated. Bar graphs were used to compare and demonstrate the results of the study. Results: 44.2% of the subjects were able to correctly identify the caloric content of fast food. 53.5% of the subjects were able to correctly identify the diseases and harms associated with fast food consumption. 87% of the subjects believe that nutritional labels should be implemented in fast food restaurants. After the correct caloric content of each fast food was shown to the subjects, 44.35% were not willing to change their fast-food consumption habits, with the reason being the good taste of the food in 65.38% of the subjects. Conclusion: Less than half of the community has adequate knowledge about the caloric content of fast food. Almost half of the community has inadequate knowledge about the diseases and harms associated with fast food consumption. Most of the community think that nutritional labels should be implemented at fast food restaurants.