Identification and characterization of slimming-targeted diets in Oran population

Abstract

Introduction. Overweight and obesity are a public health problem that may require monitoring of a diet as a part of care, by a health professional. However, dieting is often followed, in the absence of overweight or medical indication, for mainly aesthetic reasons and may expose individuals obsessed with thinness to potential health hazards. Objective. Characterize dieting to aim slimming and evaluate the perception and eating habits of weight loss in Oran population. Subjects and methods. Adults (16 men (M) and 51 women (W)), aged between 18 and 65 years, were recruited in different institutions, neighborhoods and sports halls, in Oran city. Data were collected using an anonymous questionnaire on type and perception of practiced dieting, and circumstances of its adoption. Results. 64.7% of W and 62.5% of M reported at least one dieting in their lifetime; 25% of M and W were dieting for at least 3 months; 37.5% of M and 21.6% of W have been dieting for at least 1 year, and 55.5% of subjects followed a low-calorie diet. The most frequently cited dieting was the Cohen method. For the starch reduction or suppression diet, 54.8% of subjects reported having followed it, among them 25% of the M and 13.7% of the W preferred the Low Carb method. 44.7% of the subjects chose the dissociated diet, 12.5% of the M practiced the Montignac method. For the protein-enhanced diet, the most commonly cited method was Dukan (43.8% for M and 21.6% for W). The most common diets were for M: less sugar (25%), less fat (18.8%), lemon-detox and vegetarian (12.5%), and for W, less sugar (43.1%), less fat (39.2%), cabbage soup (35.3%), lemon-detox (31.4%). Conclusion. Dieting practice in studied population is comparable to that found in European populations. A preventing politic for our population must be proposed to better identify the possible harmful consequences of slimming diets, carried out without a referral or follow-up by a specialist.