Title
Data on nutritional awareness among Saudi adults: Al-Ahsa study
Authors
BiBi Mariam1,3,4,*, Suchithra Koipurathu Rajappan2,3,4, Fatimah Ahmed AlMubark1,3,4, Zahra’a Ahmed AlShayeb1,3,4, Hawra’a Mohammed AlSalman1,3,4, Zahra Sameer Al Abdi1,3,4, Kholoud Hamdan Al Rawaili1,3,4 & Latifa Abdullah Al Jafaar1,3,4
Affiliation
1Department of Clinical Nutrition, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Al Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Basic Science, College of Science and Health Professions, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Al Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia; 3King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Al Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia; 4Ministry of National Guard - Health Affairs, Al Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia; *Corresponding author
BiBi Mariam - E-mail: mariamb@ksau-hs.edu.sa
Suchithra Koipurathu Rajappan - E-mail: koipurathus@ksau-hs.edu.sa
Fatimah Ahmed AlMubark - E-mail: dt.fatimah99@gmail.com
Zahra’a Ahmed AlShayeb - E-mail: dt.zalshayeb@gmail.com
Hawra’a Mohammed AlSalman - E-mail: s.hawraa34@gmail.com
Zahra Sameer Al Abdi - E-mail: alabdizahra85@outlook.com
Kholoud Hamdan Al Rawaili - E-mail: kholoud38199@gmail.com
Latifa Abdullah Al Jafaar - E-mail: latifa.j733@gmail.com
Article Type
Research Article
Date
Received June 1, 2026; Revised June 30, 2026; Accepted June 30, 2026, Published June 30, 2026
Abstract
Nutritional awareness is essential for preventing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) linked to poor diet and sedentary lifestyles. In Saudi Arabia, gender-specific patterns of nutrition knowledge remain inconsistent, necessitating localized evidence to guide health promotion strategies. Therefore, it is of interest to assess and compare awareness of healthy nutritional practices among 538 Saudi adults aged 18–65 years in Al-Ahsa using a validated questionnaire. Overall nutritional awareness was moderate (males: 2.12 ± 0.16; females: 2.13 ± 0.17), while nutrition and physical-activity awareness were high in both genders. Mann–Whitney U tests showed no statistically significant gender differences in awareness scores (p > 0.05). Despite adequate awareness, unhealthy behaviors such as meal skipping (77.9%) and sedentary lifestyle (34.8%) were common. Thus, we show a gap between awareness and practice and support the need for targeted community nutrition interventions.
Keywords
Nutritional awareness, healthy lifestyle, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), dietary habits, gender differences, Saudi Arabia, Al-Ahsa
Citation
Mariam et al. Bioinformation 22(6): 3516-3520 (2026)
Edited by
P Kangueane
ISSN
0973-2063
Publisher
License
This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
