Food Label Use and Associated Factors: A Cross Sectional Study from Occupied Palestinian Territories

Abstract

Background: Use of food labels can help consumers to make informed choices on foods they purchase which could have beneficial role in protection from obesity and diet related chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate food label use in the Palestinian society along with related factors. Methods: Electronic survey was distributed on social media platforms to Palestinian society in West Bank, Gaza, and other places of Palestinian communities’ presence. The survey collected data on demographic variable, obesity, chronic disease history and nutritional deficiencies. In addition to food label use information. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS 21 software. Results: We included 271 participants in our study, mean age of our study group was 25.6±10 y, mainly females. Obesity was present in 24.4% of the study group, whereas 42.8% reported they were not satisfied with their current weight and 49.4% reported they attempted to lose weight. The prevalence of label use in our study group was 61.6%. Majority of label users obtained information on amount of calories, serving size, fat, sugar, vitamins and minerals content. Very few obtained information on sodium, saturated fat and transfat in food product. Food label use was significantly related to age (p<0.05) and healthy dietary patterns (p<0.05), but was not related to obesity and chronic disease. Conclusion: Our study indicate high rate of label use among Palestinians with some gaps in nutrition information obtained.