HEALTHY FOOD TRENDS AMONG SAUDI CONSUMERS

Abstract

Saudi Arabia has seen a marked change in the lifestyle this change included eating habits also where there has been a trend towards unhealthy food consumption, especially among young people. The aim of this study is to determine the healthy food trends among Saudi consumers. Across-sectional study was conducted through Saudi population from Jeddah city. The study included 251 participants of both genders. The questionnaire was answered electronically. The questionnaire included two parts; the first represents the participant’s personal information as gender and age, while the second part includes eight multiple choice questions about buying fast foods. The statistical analysis program SPSS version 22 was used in the study. The survey result shows the participants about 89.2% are eating fast food, 88.4% encourage their friends to buy healthy foods, and 59.6% expected decreasing the demand on fast unhealthy food consumption in case the existence of restaurants offers more healthy options. The motivation behind buying fast food for 38.3% was its taste, while 36.3% buy fast food due to the speed. There is a high prevalence of fast-food consumption. Nevertheless there is a desire among the community to stop consumption, indicating their awareness of the dangers of these foods.