(P08-007-24) Comfort Food and Food Preferences of Adults With Diabetes or Prediabetes

Objectives: A crucial factor in achieving a successful dietary regimen is tailoring it to an individual’s food preferences rather than imposing a rigid dietary pattern. Given the documented low compliance with healthy eating among patients with diabetes, this study aims to explore the food preferences of adults with diabetes or prediabetes (AdDMP) that can be used for their personalized dietary plans.

Methods: We conducted a web-based survey targeting AdDMP aged 18 to 65 via Amazon Mechanical Turk. The survey included demographic questions, food preference items using a 7-point hedonic scale in 5 taste food groups (neutral; salty, umami and fat; sweet and sour; sweet and fat; bitter), open-ended questions for comfort, favorite, and least favorite foods. These open-ended responses were categorized into two groups: cold vs. hot foods. We employed independent t-tests and chi-square tests to compare outcomes based on gender.

Results: A total of 415 AdDMP completed the survey (53% women; 81% Whites; mean age ± SD: 34.2 ± 8.4 years). Notably, while 24% of participants identified vegetables as their least favorite food, chicken emerged as the top favorite food (36%, with fried chicken accounting for 13%) and the top comfort food (13%, fried chicken 2%). Gender differences were significant only in the salty, umami, and fat food group (men: 5.4 ± 1.3 vs. women: 5.1 ± 1.4, p = 0.04). Chi-square tests revealed that men tended to choose hot foods more frequently than women as comfort foods (p < 0.001), but no significant gender differences were observed for favorite and least favorite foods.

Conclusions: These findings underscore the need of aligning dietary expectations with reality for AdDMP. Future research should focus on strategies to accommodate their preferences within a healthy eating framework.

Funding Sources: 2023 Research Enhancement Award, Queens College, CUNY