Diet quality and food insecurity in Lebanon: insights into dietary diversity, mediterranean diet adherence, and phytochemical intake among adults

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Scientific Reports

Publication Date

12-1-2025

Abstract

Lebanon is undergoing a nutrition transition that increases the risk of nutritional deficiencies and noncommunicable diseases. This study assessed diet quality—measured by adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD), household dietary diversity (HDD), and the dietary phytochemical index (DPI)—and examined its associations with sociodemographic factors and food insecurity (FI) among Lebanese adults. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from May to September 2022, involving a nationally representative sample of 444 adults aged 18–64 years. Participants were selected using a stratified cluster sampling technique across the eight Lebanese governorates. Data were collected through face-to-face anthropometric assessments and phone-based dietary and sociodemographic questionnaires. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and two non-consecutive 24-hour recalls. HDD was calculated using the Food Consumption Score (FCS), MD adherence was evaluated using the 14-MEDAS, and DPI was derived from the proportion of energy intake from phytochemical-rich foods. More than half of the participants (56.3%) had low HDD, 54.1% showed fair-to-very good adherence to the MD, and the mean DPI accounted for 22.25% of total energy intake. Being employed (aOR: 1.67; CI: 1.08–2.58) and having a university education (aOR: 3.29; CI: 1.95–5.54) predicted higher HDD, while FI reduced the odds (aOR: 0.42; CI: 0.27–0.65). FI (aOR: 1.63; CI: 1.11–2.38), female sex, and being unmarried were associated with greater MD adherence. Higher age, female sex, and being unmarried predicted a higher DPI, while household crowding reduced it. Findings reveal that Lebanese adults have low dietary diversity, moderate MD adherence, and low phytochemical intake. FI, sex, age, marital status, crowding, education, and employment significantly influenced diet quality. Notably, FI was associated with lower HDD but paradoxically with higher MD adherence. These results highlight the urgent need for systemic interventions to enhance diet quality and food security in Lebanon.

ISSN

2045-2322

Volume

15

Issue

1

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

Keywords

Diet diversity, Diet quality, Food security, Lebanon, Mediterranean diet, Phytochemicals

Scopus ID

105011037054

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

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