Dietary Behavior, Diet Quality and Lifestyle Patterns among Selected Coastal Fishing Communities in Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Diet quality and lifestyle practices are important determinants of nutritional status and health. The present study assessed the dietary behavior, diet quality and lifestyle patterns among selected coastal fishing communities in Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu, India. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 550 participants using simple random sampling. Data were collected using a self-developed validated interview schedule, Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), and the standardized Diet Quality Questionnaire developed by the Global Diet Quality Project. Results: Most participants belonged to the age groups of 36 to 55 years. Nearly half of the participants had normal body mass index (BMI), while over one-third were overweight and the majority were categorized as having high-risk waist-to-hip ratio. Self-reported diabetes mellitus and hypertension were reported by approximately one-third of the participants. Meal skipping was prevalent and following cereal and seafood-based diet was predominant among the participants. Moreover, tea was the most frequently consumed beverage. Diet quality assessment also revealed inadequate consumption of fruits, nuts and seeds and vitamin A rich oods. The mean Dietary Diversity Score and Global Dietary Recommendation Score were 4.72±1.32 and 9.84±1.28 respectively, indicating poor dietary diversity and suboptimal diet quality. Conclusion: The study demonstrated inadequate dietary diversity and unhealthy lifestyle practices among the coastal fishing community. These findings emphasize the need for context-specific nutrition education and health promotion strategies to improve dietary quality and promote healthy lifestyle practices.