Table 1.
List of the Qatar Dietary Guidelines and corresponding criteria stemming from WHO STEPwise survey (n = 1109)
| Qatar Dietary Guidelines | Criteria used to assess adherence |
|---|---|
| Aim for 3–5 servings of a variety of vegetables every day. | Consume ≥3 servings of vegetables per day |
| Aim for 2–4 servings of a variety of fruit every day. | Consume ≥2 servings of fruits per day |
| Favor whole fruit over juices. | Consume whole fruits more often than natural juices (days per week) |
| Substitute refined grains with whole grain breads and cereals. | Consume whole grains more often than refined grains (days per week) |
| Eat legumes daily. | Consume beans daily (7 days per week) |
| Maintain a daily consumption of skimmed or low fat milk and dairy products. | Consume dairy products daily (7 days per week) |
| Eat a variety of fish at least twice a week. | Consume fish at least twice per week (days per week) |
| Eat less fast foods and processed foods. | Consume fast food less often (<first quartile-2 days/week) |
| Limit sweetened foods a | Consume sweets less often (<first quartile-2 days/week) |
| Avoid sweetened beverages a | Consume sweetened beverages less often (<first quartile-2 days/week) |
| Use healthy vegetable oils such as olive, corn | Use vegetable oil instead of animal fat in cooking |
| Eat home-made food more often | Consume meals outside home less often (<first quartile-3 meals per week) |
| Eat more high fiber foods. | Consume high fiber foods more often (Fruits, vegetables, wholegrain, and legumes)-times per week (>4th quartile-21 times per week) |
| Maintain a healthy weight | Maintain a healthy body mass index (Normal body mass index (BMI)b |
| Spend less time sitting | Sit less often (first quartile-240 min per day) -minutes sitting per day |
| Adults should do moderate aerobic physical activity at least 5 days per week (for at least 30 min) and/or vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity at least 3 days per week (for at least 20 min) c | Do at least 150 min per week of moderate physical activity or at least 60 min per week of vigorous physical activity (minutes per week) |
| Overall adherence score (calculated as the sum of the number of recommendations the study participants adhered to) | The score ranged between 0 and 16. |
aSweetened foods and beverages include all foods and drinks with added sugars such as sucrose or high fructose corn syrup. Examples include soft drinks, sodas, sweetened juices, sweetened Tea/coffee, cakes, deserts, chocolate, jams, etc.
bNormal BMI defined as BMI ranging between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m2
cVigorous-intensity activity is defined as activity that needs large amounts of effort and causes “large increases in breathing or heart rate”, such as running, carrying or lifting heavy loads and construction work; moderate-intensity activity, however, is defined as activity that needs moderate amounts of effort and causes “small increases in breathing or heart rate”, such as brisk walking, housework or carrying light loads [19]