ASSESSMENT OF NUTRITION KNOWLEDGE AMONG PATIENTS ATTENDING PRIMARY HEALTHCARE CENTERS.

Background: Inadequate eating behaviors may be associated with multiple disorders such as diabetes mellitus, cancer, and ischemic heart diseases. People?s nutritional knowledge (NK) regarding their healthy food may have a strong impact on their eating behavior and compliance with healthy diet for themselves and their children. Objectives:To assess the NK and predictors of inadequate NK among the patients attending primary healthcare centers (PMC). Settings and Design:A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study has been conducted in PMC in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods and Material:A modified version of the General Nutrition Knowledge (GNK) questionnaire was used. The answers were scored from 0 to 1 proportional to the number of correct answers and three scores were calculated: healthy food knowledge (HFK), food composition knowledge (FCK) and GNK scores. Statistical analysis: The association between NK scores and demographic and lifestyle factors was analyzed using nonparametric tests. Predictors of inadequate nutrition knowledge (GNK