Dietary transition and its determinants among residents of Skardu city

Objective: To assess the dietary transition among residents of Skardu city, its association with sociodemographic variables and the determinants of dietary transition. Study Design: A cross-sectional study Place and duration of study: Study was carried out on residents of Skardu city during a period of six months from March 2022-August 2022. Patients and Methods: A total of 362 respondents, were randomly selected for the purpose of the study. Data on dietary transition was collected using Food Frequency questionnaire (FFQ) scale. Independent sample t-test and One Way ANOVA test were applied to check the association of dietary transition with sociodemographic factors. Results: Majority were male (n=182, 50.3%) and were 18-25 years of age (n=168, 46.4%). There was significant association of dietary transition with some variables of sociodemographic characteristics (p value=<0.05). There was a significant association between modern food with sociodemographic characteristics of gender, age, marital status, other residency, education, job nature, family income, perceived health status and weight status (p value=<0.05). Association between traditional food with sociodemographic characteristics of age, gender, marital status, family structure, education, perceived health status and weight status (p value=<0.05). The mean score for modern food was 40.54±10.64 and traditional food was 37.24±8.43. The difference between two groups was significantly associated that p value is 0.0001. Conclusion: The study concluded that majority of the respondents were undergoing food transition from modern to traditional and there was significant association with sociodemographic characteristics. Majority of the respondents started modern food before 10 years ago and come to know regarding modern food through community.