Abeer A Aljahdali
Background: Dietitians play a crucial role in promoting sustainable dietary patterns aimed at maintaining both human and planetary health. Several studies have investigated knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) regarding food sustainability among dietitians; nevertheless, evidence from the Middle East remains scarce, with no studies conducted in Saudi Arabia. Objective: This study aimed to assess KAPs regarding sustainable dietary patterns and dietary adherence among dietitians in Saudi Arabia. Methods: An online structured questionnaire was distributed to collect self-reported information on food sustainability, including knowledge and perceived understanding, perceived importance of key concepts, behaviors, and food consumption. A total of 221 dietitians completed the survey. Results: Dietitians reported greater engagement with health-oriented and practical sustainability behaviors, particularly food waste reduction, fruit and vegetable consumption, and affordability-related choices. Also, gaps in dietitians' knowledge and familiarity were identified regarding environmental metrics of food sustainability concepts. Dietitians reported that food consumption was characterized by frequent consumption of animal-based foods, moderate consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts, and low adoption of plant-based alternatives. Conclusions: Dietitians in Saudi Arabia generally exhibited favorable attitudes toward food sustainability, with a gap identified in factual knowledge despite an overestimation of the perceived knowledge and practices pertaining to environmental sustainability, and these gaps did not consistently translate into sustainable food consumption behaviors. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating food sustainability, including environmentally related concepts, into nutrition education and professional development as a potential strategy to bridge the gap between knowledge and application in dietetic practices.