The Effect of Age and BMI on Consumers' Diet Products Consumption: The Case of Tekirdağ
Abstract
Diet products, commonly used for health or weight control, include items with reduced fat, artificial sweeteners, and added fiber. This study aimed to examine the effects of age and BMI on diet product consumption. The data were obtained from a 2025 survey conducted using the simple random sampling method with 324 consumers residing in the Süleymanpaşa district of Tekirdağ province. As participants’ age increased, their BMI also increased, and in each BMI group, females outnumbered males. The prevalence of chronic diseases rose with higher age and BMI, with diabetes and hypertension being most common among overweight individuals (50.0% and 41.7%). Participants aged 19–25 and 46–65 showed the highest tendency to use diet products. The main reason for using them was weight loss, and a statistically significant relationship was found between diet product use and BMI. The internet was the leading source of information, followed by dietitians. Most participants paid attention to nutrition labels when purchasing diet products. A majority believed artificial sweeteners are harmful, particularly overweight individuals, while underweight participants were least likely to share this belief. Stevia was the most preferred sweetener among all participants. Many believed that diet products could cause negative side effects in the future. Those who found diet products expensive (41.7%) were mainly aged 46–65. Whole-wheat bread was the most consumed diet product across all BMI groups, while diabetic jam and marmalade were the least consumed. Younger participants preferred snack-type diet products such as diet drinks, biscuits, chocolate, and light fruit yogurt, whereas those aged 46 and above preferred whole-wheat bread. Consumers primarily viewed diet products as tools for weight management, which may lead to misuse. Collaboration among institutions and expert-reviewed media publications are recommended to raise awareness and support informed consumption.
Keywords
Diet products, Light products, Reduced fat, Artificial sweeteners, Chronic diseases, Diet product consumption preferences
Ethical Statement
Permission of the Ethics Committee was granted by the Science and Engineering Research and Publication Ethics Committee of Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University with Date: 04.04.2025 Reference Number: 578800 Approval No: 2025
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