Knowledge of dietary guidelines and portion sizes in Saudi Arabian mothers; cross-sectional study

Abstract Background: it is known that knowledge of dietary guideline is linked to healthy eating habit. This study aims to investigate Saudi Mother’s knowledge of current dietary guidelines regarding food groups and portion sizes and to investigate its relation to the sociodemographic factors.Methods: This cross-sectional study using Nutrition Education Program to recruit 101 mother and child. Instructed on site- online survey were collected to measure the mother’s knowledge of dietary guideline and portion sizes. quantitative analysis using Chi-square and Kruksan-Wallis tests.Results: 29.1 % of the participants were aware of the MyPlate guidelines and 51.5 % said that they affected by healthy plate choices. Being married was significantly associated with knowing about the MyPlate Image (P= 0.004). Correct identification of food groups on the MyPlate Image and correct identification of serving sizes of food group was less than 50% for most food groups. A significantly greater percentage of those with a postgraduate education were accurate about the correct servings of fruit, vegetables and grains (P=0.049).Conclusions: Nutrition knowledge of food groups and serving sizes was poor in the sample of Saudi women. This research provides evidence that nutrition education is needed in the Saudi Arabia and the finding are relevant for future health promotion strategies. The study has also identified sociodemographic groups that possibly may need to be targeted with more attention in future nutrition education programs such as those with low income, lower education level and unmarried women.