Assessment of Dietary Patterns and its Risk Factors Among Adults of a Rural Population of Chikkaballapur District, Karnataka

Diet and nutrition play an important role in the health and disease of an individual. Familial risk factors can be modifiable if adequate knowledge and practices are inculcated very early in life. Unhealthy dietary practices can cause metabolic syndrome such as raised BMI, high blood pressure, and elevated lipid profile. This study aims to study the dietary risk factors and their effect on clinical and biochemical parameters on 44% (n=2007) of the 4576 rural population above 30 years residing in Kaiwara and Kurubur PHC of Chikaballapura District, Karnataka. The daily intake of various foods and snacks, timings, and frequency of consumption were noted using a questionnaire with four field workers. It was observed that adults in the age group 30-39 years comprised 29.6%, and risk factors for non-communicable diseases in the diet included extra salt (1.4%) fried foods (8.7%), aerated drinks (8.3%) cakes (15.1%), pickle/chutney (51.4%). Though vegetables are consumed by 82.2%, consumption of fruits is negligible. Turmeric with its anti carcinogenic properties is consumed for more than 5 days a week by 36.5%. Fish though not easily available in rural areas is consumed by 116 (2.4). Among 2007 individuals, 1198 (60%) had high BMI, and the waist-hip ratio among males was > 0.9 among 1200 (76.1%) males and > 0.85 among 53% of females. An increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressure was observed in 54% of individuals. High blood sugar levels among 341 (17%), total cholesterol (n=382, 19%) was seen in the rural population. This study highlights that dietary patterns are increasing in the rural population adding to the overall burden of non-communicable diseases. Keywords: Dietary, Risk factors, Non­communicable diseases, Clinical, Biochemical