2:20 - 2:50 pm EST
Diet Quality of South Asians in Alberta
Fatheema Begum Subhan, MPhil, PhD, RD - Department of Nutrition and Food Science, California State Polytechnic University Pomona - CLICK for bio
Description:
South Asians are known to have a higher prevalence of early-onset cardiovascular disease risk compared with other populations. Dietary intake is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Dietary patterns in immigrants and successive generations of South Asians settled in Western countries undergo adaptions, however very little is known about dietary patterns of South Asians in Alberta We conducted a retrospective analysis of data collected from 140 South Asian adults participating in the Alberta’s Tomorrow Project. Dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire and the Healthy Eating Index was used as an indicator of overall diet quality and adherence to dietary recommendations made by Health Canada. Central obesity (70%), hypercholesterolemia (27%), and hypertension (14%) were predominant health conditions observed in the study participants. The diet quality of the majority of participants was inadequate to meet macronutrient and micronutrient intake recommendations. The high prevalence of poor/moderate diet quality and pre-existing chronic health conditions across all body mass index groups is a cause for concern in this population.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify common chronic health conditions among South Asians in Alberta
- Describe the diet quality of South Asians in Alberta by gender and BMI
- Describe the diet quality of South Asians in Alberta by chronic disease risk