Comparative Analysis of Dietary Habits and Nutritional Profiles: Sidi Ali Ben Aoun vs. Grand Tunis

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Published Dec 27, 2025
https://doi.org/10.62438/tunismed.v103i10.5906
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Vol. 103 No. 10 (2025): Tunis Med Oct 2025

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Rym Ben Othman
National Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology of Tunis, Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis el Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2453-9778
Zahwa Bouguerra
Higher School of Health Sciences and Technology, Tunis, Tunisia
Ramla Mizouri
National Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology of Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
Rim Rachdi
National Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology of Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
Faten Mahjoub
National Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology of Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
Olfa Berriche
National Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology of Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
Henda Jamoussi
National Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology of Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia

Abstract

Introduction: Tunisia is affected by the nutritional and dietary transition.


Aim: To compare dietary habits and nutritional profiles between a rural agricultural area Sidi Ali Ben Aoun and an urban area Grand Tunis.


Methods: This is a comparative cross-sectional study conducted on a sample of 220 participants, including 110 from Ben Aoun and 110 from Grand Tunis. Data were collected based on a pre-established questionnaire about dietary lifestyle and habits survey. Validated scores were used: Alimentary Diversity of Households (SDAM), the Food Consumption Assessment score (SCAM), MEDI-LITE and IPAQ.


Results: The mean age was 37.2±15.3 years for the urban population versus 38.7±13.8 years for the rural population (p=0.43). In the rural population, males were 54.5% vs 48.2%; p=0.34. The occurrence of non-communicable diseases was lower in Ben Aoun (p<0.001). The adopted diet in the region of Ben Aoun aligned with the principles of the Mediterranean diet (MEDI-LITE score was 13.2±1.76 versus 7.35±2.65 in Grand Tunis, p<0.001). Both studied regions had a similar level of food security as assessed by the SDAM (p=0.006). However, household dietary diversity was more present in the rural region: the average SCAM was 11.4±0.79 in the rural group compared to 10±1.31 in the urban group (p<0.001).


Conclusion: The rural region (Sidi Ali Ben Aoun) was characterized by a healthier and more diverse diet compared to the urban region (Grand Tunis).

Keywords:

nutritional transition, dietary habits, mediterranean diet, food security, alimentary diversity

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Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Author Biography

Rym Ben Othman, National Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology of Tunis, Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis el Manar, Tunis, Tunisia

institut national de nutrition et de technologie alimentaire de tunis

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