Background: The prevalence of obesity, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in Lebanon has attained alarming rates. Studies have shown a positive effect of adherence to Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) on the prognosis of chronic diseases and obesity.

Method: The aim of this cross-sectional study is to assess the adherence to MedDiet among 1030 Lebanese adults (32.4% men, aged ≥ 18 years). The adherence to MedDiet was assessed using a 14-points MedDiet adherence screener (MEDAS) (3). Descriptive analysis and Chi-square test were used to characterize the participants’ adherence and its statistical association with gender, age, education, income, and province. All the calculations were made using IBM SPSS Statistics v.24.

Results: 67.6% of the participants were females, well-educated (university students and graduates) (83.5%), earning very low-income (< 200 $ per month) (79.86%), and residents of the provinces of North (42.5%) and Mount Lebanon (42.5%). The population showed low-to-moderate commitment to the physical lifestyle (≤ 3 times weekly) and a low adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (60.8%, mean adherence 8/14 <9). The evaluation of the survey questions with gender showed a statistical association (P < 0.05) with questions on consumption of wine, fish, and preference of chicken over meat and consumption of vegetables simmered with olive oil only. The university students and graduates showed a higher statistical difference (P < 0.05) with consumption of olive oil, adequate consumption of vegetables, legumes and vegetables simmered with olive oil than the less-educated people. Middle-age adults (age >45) showed also, a statistical difference (P < 0.05) with questions on olive oil consumption and legumes than the younger ones. The residents of the North province showed a higher statistical difference (P < 0.05) with questions on consumption of olive oil, wine, and legume and preference of chicken over meat than the other provinces.

Conclusion: Mean adherence to the MedDiet among adults in Lebanon was not sufficiently adequate and was lower than a healthy score. National awareness about MedDiet should be spread among adult population to increase the adherence which can be reflected positively on their health. Improvement in foods’ consumption is needed to increase MedDiet adherence in this sample of adults.