Dietary Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease among Low-Income Haitian Adults: Findings from a Population-Based Cohort

Poor diets are responsible for a large burden of noncommunicable disease (NCD). The prevalence of modifiable dietary risk factors is rising in lower-income countries such as Haiti, along with increasing urbanization and shifts to diets high in sugar, salt, and fat. We describe self-reported dietary patterns (intake of fruits, vegetables, fried food, sugar-sweetened beverages, and added salt and oil) among a population-based cohort of low-income adults in Port-au-Prince and assess for associated sociodemographic factors (age, sex, income, education, body mass index). Among 2989 participants, the median age was 40 years, and 58.0% were women. Less than 1% met the World Health Organization recommendation of at least five servings/day of fruits and vegetables. Participants consumed fried food on average 1.6 days/week and sugar-sweetened beverages on average 4.7 days/week; young males of low socioeconomic status were the most likely to consume these dietary risk factors. The vast majority of participants reported usually or often consuming salt (87.1%) and oil (86.5%) added to their meals eaten at home. Our findings underscore the need for public health campaigns, particularly those targeting young males and household cooks preparing family meals at home, to improve dietary patterns in Haiti in order to address the growing NCD burden.

Automated summary

Poor diets contribute to the high burden of noncommunicable diseases in Haiti, particularly among low-income adults. Inadequate intake of fruits and vegetables, high consumption of fried food and sugar-sweetened beverages, and the preference for adding salt and oil to meals are the key dietary patterns observed. Young males of low socioeconomic status present the highest risk. Public health campaigns targeting this population group, particularly household cooks, are necessary to address the growing NCD burden.