FREQUENCY OF CONSUMPTION OF HIGH-FAT HIGH-SUGAR CONTAINING FAST FOODS AMONG SAUDIS IN AL-AHSA CITY

Introduction: High risk of Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) and metabolic changes correlated with harmful dietary habits. High-Fat HighSugar products (HFHS) have strong relationship with Obesity incidence. Western diet which is HFHS become popular, and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been adapted this diet. Fats and sugar should be taken moderately rather than cutting both completely. Aim: To assess the frequency of consumption of high-sugar and high fat containing fast foods among Saudis in Al-Ahsa city. Method: The design was a descriptive, crosssectional survey with a prestructured validated questionnaire to obtain quantitative data as a result. Data was collected among the adults (18-65 yrs), in Al-Ahsa region from September 2021 to November 2021. The questionnaire consisted of three sections, which are demographic variable, Questions about HSHF containing fast foods, frequency of consumption, and quantity of consumption. Questions about the prevalence of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases. People who are responded to the survey are 710 persons. The responses who did not meet the inclusion criteria were excluded and the total of responses became 625. Results: The results shown higher percent of participants were in the age group of 18 to 30 years and were females. The study revealed frequent weekly consumption of sweets such as chocolate (53.6%) and cakes/cookies (41.1%), fried foods including French fries (39.7%) and fried chicken (35.4%), and soft drinks (34.9%) among Saudis in Al-Ahsa, while processed meat intake such as sausages/hot dogs remained low (1.1%). Conclusion: Frequent intake of sweets, fried foods, and sugar-sweetened beverages among Saudis in Al-Ahsa highlights unhealthy dietary patterns that may contribute to obesity and non-communicable diseases, emphasizing the need for public health interventions.