Mediterranean Diet and Food Consumption in an Urban Adult Population of Northwest Algeria

Background: Knowing the eating habits of populations is important to better define appropriate public health interventions. 

Aims: The aim of the current study was to describe the food consumption among adults in an urban population in North-western Algeria and to compare it to the Mediterranean diet. 

Subjects and methods: During 2007-2009, 787 individuals aged 30-64 years, randomly selected from the list of insured persons residing in Oran city. A questionnaire on socio-economic and nutritional habits was completed during a face-to-face interview. 

Results: Mostly, Bread was the most consumed food, three times a day for the majority of the participants (92.2%), followed by vegetal oil (67.9%) and milk (51.2%) twice a day. Dessert was more consumed (64.7%) than vegetables (58.7%), once a day. Olive oil was the least consumed. According to sex, women’s diet appears to be different from men regarding several foods. We observed that young subjects (30 to 39 years) displayed a high consumption of desserts (68.7%, p<0.0001) and potatoes (62.7%, p=0.024), as well as peanuts (44.9%, p=0.032). The most educated subjects, likewise, subjects with a sufficient monthly income consumed significantly more animal proteins, red meat and fish, as well as fruits. The food pyramid in the ISOR (Insulino-résistance à Oran) population was different from the MD (Mediterranean Diet), except for cereals and grain products. 

Conclusion: The diet of the urban population of northern Algeria is far to be compared to the Mediterranean diet with a high consumption of desserts and animal proteins, in particular among men with a good income.

Keywords

Northwest Algeria Urban Population Mediterranean Diet Monthly Income Educational Level
  • Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire et Cellulaire, USTO Mohamed Boudiaf, Oran
  • LABSIS, Faculté de Médecine d’Oran, Université Oran 1
  • Imene Hamani-Medjaoui
    CSORVAT-CNAS, Oran
  • Aicha Sarah Larjam-Hetraf
    Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire et Cellulaire, USTO Mohamed Boudiaf, Oran
  • Sonia Mediene-Benchekor
    1. Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire et Cellulaire, USTO Mohamed Boudiaf, Oran, Algeria. 4. Département de Biotechnologie, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université Oran 1

How to Cite

Ouhaibi-Djellouli, H. ., Houti, L., Hamani-Medjaoui, I. ., Larjam-Hetraf, A. S. ., & Mediene-Benchekor, S. . (2021). Mediterranean Diet and Food Consumption in an Urban Adult Population of Northwest Algeria. The North African Journal of Food and Nutrition Research, 4(9), S109-S115. https://doi.org/10.51745/najfnr.4.9.S109-S115

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