Food selection associated with sense of coherence in adults

BACKGROUND: Favorable dietary habits promote health, whereas unfavorable habits link to various chronic diseases. An individual's "sense of coherence" (SOC) is reported to correlate with prevalence of some diseases to which dietary habits are linked. However, understanding what determines an individual's dietary preferences and how to change his/her behavior remains limited. The aim of the present study was to evaluate associations between dietary intake and SOC in adults. METHODS: Diet intake was recorded by an 84-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire and SOC was measured by the 13-item Antonovsky questionnaire in 2,446 men and 2,545 women (25–74 years old) from the population based northern Sweden MONICA screening in 1999. RESULTS: Intakes of energy, total and saturated fat, ascorbic acid, sucrose, and servings of fruits, vegetables, cereals, and sweets correlated with SOC among women, whereas intakes of total and saturated fat, ascorbic acid, fiber, and alcohol, and servings of fruits, vegetables, bread, bread and cereals, fish, and potatoes correlated with SOC among men. With a few exceptions, intakes of these nutrients/foods were significantly explained by SOC quartile scores in linear GLM models. Both women and men classified into the highest SOC quartile had significantly higher age-BMI-education standardized mean intakes of vegetables than those in the lowest quartiles. Women in the highest SOC quartile also had higher intake of fruits but lower intakes of energy, total and saturated fat, sucrose, and sweets. Projection to latent structures (PLS) multivariate modeling of intakes of the 84 food items and food aggregates simultaneously on SOC scores supported low SOC to coincide with a presumably less health promoting dietary preference, e.g. intake of pizza, soft drinks, candies, sausages for main course, hamburgers, mashed potato, chips and other snacks, potato salad, French fries, whereas men and women with high SOC scores were characterized by e.g. high intake of rye crisp whole meal bread, boiled potato, vegetables, berries, and fruits. CONCLUSION: Both men and women in the highest, as compared with the lowest, SOC score quartile reported more "healthy" food choices. Dietary habits for individuals in the lowest SOC quartile therefore may render a higher risk for various endemic diseases

Law and development : the future of law and development research

Contents: Introduction -- I. The Scope of the Inquiry: The Role of Law in Development and Development Research -- II. The Nature of Law and Development Research -- III. Types of LD Research and Some Principles Governing LD Studies -- IV. The Present Situation-A Survey of Existing LD Research -- V. Priorities and Problems -- VI. Towards the Growth of LD Studies: Goals, Strategies and Recommendations -- VII. ILC and its Future Role in Law and Development Research -- Concurring and Supplementary Statements -- Appendix I. Reports Prepared for the Committee -- Appendix II. Biographical Data on Committee Members and Consultants</p

No. 3 October 2005

From the contents: Congo-Brazzaville/Tukumbi Lumumba-Kasongo -- Youth in African cities/Amin Y. Kamete -- Interview with Muhammad Kabir Is

Number 3 October 2003

From the contents: Migration in West Africa/Francis Akindès -- Sierra Leone/Arthur Abraham -- Nordic Media and Africa/Anne Hege Simonsen -- Interview with Juhani Kopone

Nordic statements on apartheid

Contents: Statements made in plenary meetings of the General Assembly by: 1. The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland -- 2. The representative of Norway -- 3. The representative of Denmark -- 4. The representative of Sweden -- 5. The representative of Iceland -- Statements in the Security Council by: Mr. Olof Palme, Sweden -- Ambassador Anders Thunborg, Sweden -- Statements at the United Nations Conference in Maputo by: Mr. Ola Ullsten, Sweden -- Mr. Olof Palme, Sweden</p

Social policy

From the contents: -- Urban land/Paul Jenkins -- NAI's Gender research programme/Signe Arnfrd -- Interview with paul Zelez

History in the making

From the contents: Togo: Family matters/Richard Cornwell -- The lost status of women of Madagascar/Mireille Rabenoro -- A portrait of Tore Linné Erikse

Number 2 May 2002

From the contents: -- African Masculinity -- Sierra LeoneHigher Education in South Afric

Les pays scandinaves et l'Afrique

Särtryck ur: La revue francaise d'études politiques africaines, no. 4