Evaluation of adult individuals' opinions, attitudes and behaviors related to ABO blood type diet

Although the concepts of nutrition and diet are mostly on the agenda of individuals for weight problems, the tendency towards certain dietary practices for health problems is increasing. Different types of diets are discussed and different opinions are expressed in our country as well as in the world. The ABO blood group diet is a type of diet in which the effect of nutrients differs according to the blood groups of individuals and recommends that each blood group should prefer foods in the beneficial category more frequently, and foods that are not recommended according to the blood group should be consumed less frequently. ABO blood group diet is one of the popular diet types practiced by the society, but there are not enough studies about it in the literature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the thoughts, attitudes and behaviors of adult individuals who have an idea about ABO blood group diet. This descriptive research was conducted at Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, between 1 August 2022 and 7 January 2023, using an e-survey on social media platforms. The universe of the study consisted of people over the age of 18 who had heard of the ABO blood group diet and who agreed to participate in the survey posted on social media platforms. 1155 adults were participated. Of the individuals who participated in the study, 43.5% (n=502) followed the ABO blood group diet. Among the participants who followed the ABO blood group diet, 90.6% stated that they were satisfied with the diet and 94.8% would recommend this diet to their close circle. Of those who followed the diet, 89.4% reported feeling more vigorous and healthier than before. Most of the participants who did not follow the diet reported that they did not follow the diet because they did not have enough information about the diet, while 73.4% reported that they were considering following the diet. Popular diets, about which there are not enough studies in the literature, are accepted by the society and their frequency of application is increasing day by day, as in our study sample. There is a need for more studies on these diets. It is of great importance for physicians and dietitians to be informed about both the ABO blood group diet and other popular diets that the society is interested in, in order to guide the society correctly. Especially in the training plans of family physicians who approach the health of their patients holistically, nutrition issues should be emphasized and popular diets should be taken into consideration. Keywords: ABO blood-group system, diet, food, and nutrition, behavior, attitude