Nutritional Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices among Family Physician Practitioners in Gulf Countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and UAE)
Family physicians serve as pivotal points of contact within global healthcare systems. Nutrition plays a significant role in lifestyle and preventive medicine. With the rise of chronic and non-communicable diseases in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, these physicians advise patients and the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Healthcare |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/11/19/2633 |
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| author | Abeer S. Alzaben Abeer A. Aljahdali Lulua F. Alasousi Ghadeer Alzaben Lynne Kennedy Anwar Alhashem |
| author_facet | Abeer S. Alzaben Abeer A. Aljahdali Lulua F. Alasousi Ghadeer Alzaben Lynne Kennedy Anwar Alhashem |
| author_sort | Abeer S. Alzaben |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Family physicians serve as pivotal points of contact within global healthcare systems. Nutrition plays a significant role in lifestyle and preventive medicine. With the rise of chronic and non-communicable diseases in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, these physicians advise patients and the public on diet-related conditions. This descriptive cross-sectional study assessed the nutritional knowledge and practices across the GCC. Combining survey data from multiple GCC sites, a sample of family physicians was generated. Registered GCC family physicians received email invitations containing participant information, informed consent forms, and a self-administered online questionnaire. Analysis of data from four GCC countries involving 8751 family physicians and nutrition experts revealed an average nutrition knowledge score of 62%. Nearly all participants recognized the importance of nutrition in preventing and treating chronic diseases. Common nutritional practices included recommending regular exercise (92%), referring patients to dietitians for nutrition-related concerns (70%), and providing nutrition advice (68.6%). GCC family physicians underscore the significance of nutrition in preventing and managing chronic ailments. Therefore, incorporating nutritional counseling into their practices is essential. This study highlights the need to integrate nutrition education into medical curricula and ongoing professional development, given that only 62% of GCC family physicians correctly answered nutrition-related questions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:44:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6024badc99f34261844bfe0095b4eb88 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9032 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:44:38Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Healthcare |
| spelling | doaj.art-6024badc99f34261844bfe0095b4eb882023-11-19T14:25:06ZengMDPI AGHealthcare2227-90322023-09-011119263310.3390/healthcare11192633Nutritional Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices among Family Physician Practitioners in Gulf Countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and UAE)Abeer S. Alzaben0Abeer A. Aljahdali1Lulua F. Alasousi2Ghadeer Alzaben3Lynne Kennedy4Anwar Alhashem5Department of Health Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Adulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80215, Jeddah 21589, Saudi ArabiaKuwait Family Medicine Board, Faculty of Primary Health Care, Kuwait Institute for Medical Specializations, Ministry of Health, Safat P.O. Box 1793, KuwaitDepartment of Surgery, Awali Hospital, Awali P.O. Box 2555, BahrainPublic Health and Nutrition, College of Natural and Health Sciences, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 144534, United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Health Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Adulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi ArabiaFamily physicians serve as pivotal points of contact within global healthcare systems. Nutrition plays a significant role in lifestyle and preventive medicine. With the rise of chronic and non-communicable diseases in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, these physicians advise patients and the public on diet-related conditions. This descriptive cross-sectional study assessed the nutritional knowledge and practices across the GCC. Combining survey data from multiple GCC sites, a sample of family physicians was generated. Registered GCC family physicians received email invitations containing participant information, informed consent forms, and a self-administered online questionnaire. Analysis of data from four GCC countries involving 8751 family physicians and nutrition experts revealed an average nutrition knowledge score of 62%. Nearly all participants recognized the importance of nutrition in preventing and treating chronic diseases. Common nutritional practices included recommending regular exercise (92%), referring patients to dietitians for nutrition-related concerns (70%), and providing nutrition advice (68.6%). GCC family physicians underscore the significance of nutrition in preventing and managing chronic ailments. Therefore, incorporating nutritional counseling into their practices is essential. This study highlights the need to integrate nutrition education into medical curricula and ongoing professional development, given that only 62% of GCC family physicians correctly answered nutrition-related questions.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/11/19/2633nutritionknowledgeattitudepracticefamily physicianGCC |
| spellingShingle | Abeer S. Alzaben Abeer A. Aljahdali Lulua F. Alasousi Ghadeer Alzaben Lynne Kennedy Anwar Alhashem Nutritional Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices among Family Physician Practitioners in Gulf Countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and UAE) Healthcare nutrition knowledge attitude practice family physician GCC |
| title | Nutritional Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices among Family Physician Practitioners in Gulf Countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and UAE) |
| title_full | Nutritional Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices among Family Physician Practitioners in Gulf Countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and UAE) |
| title_fullStr | Nutritional Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices among Family Physician Practitioners in Gulf Countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and UAE) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nutritional Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices among Family Physician Practitioners in Gulf Countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and UAE) |
| title_short | Nutritional Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices among Family Physician Practitioners in Gulf Countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and UAE) |
| title_sort | nutritional knowledge attitudes and practices among family physician practitioners in gulf countries bahrain kuwait saudi arabia and uae |
| topic | nutrition knowledge attitude practice family physician GCC |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/11/19/2633 |
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