FOODLIT-PRO: Food literacy domains, influential factors and determinants—A qualitative study

Poor eating habits are increasing the prevalence of weight-related issues, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Given the demand to improve individuals’ food knowledge and competencies aiming at healthier behaviours, the current investigation explores the concept of food literacy. Considering the lack of a shared understanding of food literacy, this study aims to explore food literacy’s domains, influential factors and determinants. Using a qualitative deductive-dominant content analysis, 30 experts from food-related fields were interviewed. The obtained outcomes were compared to available food literacy frameworks. Agreement among inter-raters was nearly perfect (k = 0.82). Yielding a total of 184 codes nested within 19 categories, identified domains were Origin, Safety, Choice and Decision, Select and Acquire, Plan, Preserve, Prepare, Cook, and Knowledge; influential factors included Nutrition, Psychological, Health, Learning Contexts, Policy, Industry, Sustainability, and Social and Cultural; External determinants were “Access to Food-Related Information”, “Perishable and/or Unreliable Food-Related Information”, “Family Dynamic and/or Identity”, and “Professionals’ Unpreparedness on Food-Related Expertise”, and Internal determinants included “Prioritise Food”, “Convenience and Practicality”, “Time and Financial Management”, “Previous Food-Related Habits”, and “Innate and Learned Flavour Preferences”. In conclusion, more than half of the identified attributes (62.5%) are corroborated by the current literature. However, the manifested content unmatched with the current frameworks of food literacy literature express food-literacy-related fields of action, knowledge, competencies, and determinants that have not yet been explored. As such, this study provides new and useful information concerning food literacy definition and development, by identifying its domains, factors of influence, and potential determinants. Moreover, this work paves the way for new measurements and interventions within this field

"Lizzie Crockett did have illicit intercourse with men other than her husband" : sexuality, race, and criminality in Austin at the turn of the twentieth century

In this report, I investigate the formation of the stereotypes about sexually ready, available, and promiscuous Black and Mexican women in the history of the U.S. Southwest or Mexican Borderlands. Specifically, I argue that dominant society created sexual stereotypes of women of color sexuality in opposition to sexual stereotypes of white women. I contend that dominant society used these stereotypes to regulate the sexuality of both women of color and white women. Furthermore, I deconstruct the assumption of white society that most women of color were prostitutes regardless of their occupation. Simply put, I ask: how was the sexuality of African American and Mexican women regulated and constructed in contrast to the sexuality of white women in the city of Austin between 1890 to 1914? I propose to illuminate the multiple layers of these stereotypes by analyzing court records and literature on prostitution. I conduct this case study in Austin because of its unique location and history at the crossroads of the South and Southwest and its "multiracial" or "triracial" populations of African Americans, Mexicans and Euro-Americans. Similarly, I focus on the changes in sexual regulation throughout the Progressive Era and use the analytical lenses of "sexuality" and "gender" because I hope to contribute to recent scholarly discussions that have complicated our understanding of sexuality in this period.Histor

FOODLIT-Trial: Protocol of a Randomised Controlled Digital Intervention to Promote Food Literacy and Sustainability Behaviours in Adults Using the Health Action Process Approach and the Behaviour Change Techniques Taxonomy during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dietary quality and sustainability are central matters to the international community, emphasised by the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic. To promote healthier and more sustainable food-related practices, the protocol of a web-based intervention to enhance adults’ food literacy is presented. The FOODLIT-Trial is a two-arm, parallel, experimental, and single-blinded randomised controlled trial delivered over 11 weeks. Based on the Food Literacy Wheel framework and supported by the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) and the Behaviour Change Techniques Taxonomy, weekly content with customised behaviour change techniques (experimental group) is hypothesised to be more effective to promote food behaviour change when compared to a single-time and non-customised delivery of food-related international guidelines, with no theoretically informed approaches (comparison group). Primary outcome is food literacy, including food-related knowledge, skills, and behaviours, assessed with the FOODLIT-Tool; a secondary outcome includes psychological mechanisms that efficaciously predict change in participants’ food literacy, measured with HAPA-driven items. Enlisted through online sources, participants will be assessed across five time points (baseline, post-intervention, and 3-, 6-, and 9-month follow-ups, i.e., T0–T4). A randomisation check will be conducted, analyses will follow an intention-to-treat approach, and linear two-level models within- (T0–T4) and between-level (nested in participants) will be computed, together with a longitudinal mediation analysis. If effective, the FOODLIT-Trial will provide for a multidimensional and cost-effective intervention to enable healthier and more sustainable food practices over the long term

Prevalencia de hipotiroidismo en pacientes con cardiopatía isquémica en el servicio de medicina interna del Hospital Regional ISSSTE Puebla de enero de 2016 a diciembre de 2020

"La cardiopatía isquémica es una de las principales causas de morbilidad y mortalidad a nivel mundial y se sabe que el hipotiroidismo descontrolado incrementa 3 veces más el riesgo de padecer esta afección cardiaca. No existen publicaciones en México que nos pueda reportar la prevalencia real hipotiroidismo y cardiopatía isquémica. El perfil tiroideo es una prueba efectiva y de bajo costo que permite evaluar la función tiroidea. Determinar este paraclinico en los pacientes portadores de cardiopatía isquémica para detectar el distiroidismo, puede promover un tratamiento oportuno y reducción de eventos cardiovasculares futuros. Por lo tanto, realizar este protocolo de investigación en la población del Hospital Regional ISSSTE Puebla es relevante para mejorar la calidad de la atención de los derechohabientes y disminuir los costos del hospital"

FOODLIT-tool: Development and validation of the adaptable food literacy tool towards global sustainability within food systems

Facing multiple anthropogenic challenges and considering the current global pandemic, food sustainability is stated as threatened by major intergovernmental agencies. Given the heterogeneity of food systems, the need to enhance food-related behaviours by promoting the acquisition of knowledge and competencies, and the demand to involve stakeholder's diversity, this study aims to develop and validate an instrument that measures food literacy (FL), its determinants and its influential factors in an adult sample. Based on the Food Literacy Wheel (FLW) framework and integrated within the FOODLIT-PRO - Food Literacy Project, this study has three phases and a total of 2406 participants: (1) item development and content validity, (2) instrument development entailing item reduction strategies, factor extraction methodologies (exploratory and confirmatory analyses) and sensitivity testing, with two samples of a total of 1447 adults, and (3) instrument validation encompassing tests of dimensionality (confirmatory factor analysis), reliability (composite reliability) and validity (convergent and discriminant validity), and measure invariance testing, with 959 adults. Concerning statistical and psychometric properties, (1) a pool of 40 items (26 for FL; single items: five for determinants and nine for influential factors) was developed with inductive and deductive methodologies and reflected the FLW, (2) a 5-factor structure was explored, demonstrated acceptable model fit, and good sensitivity indices, and (3) a 5-dimensional reliable structure with 24 items was validated, configural invariance was achieved, and convergent and discriminant validity were significant in most dimensions. The FOODLIT-Tool contributes with an innovative measure of FL in adults that allows for a tailored assessment when approaching food-related issues within global food systems, providing a multidisciplinary tool that can be cross-widely applied to promote food-related behaviour change.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Efecto de la temperatura y la irradiancia sobre el crecimiento, la propagación vegetativa y la actividad fotosintética del alga invasora Rugulopteryx okamurae (Dictyotales, Ochrophyta).

Ayuda Plan propio de Investigación de la Universidad de Málaga. Proyecto Rugulopteryx. Fundación Biodiversidad. MITECO.The invasive algae Rugulopteryx okamurae (Dictyotales, Ochrophyta) is producing recently important blooms in southern Spain, affecting biodiversity, fishing industry and tourism. For this reason, it is essential to identify the factors that determine the high invasiveness. In this context, the objective of this study focuses on determining the effect of temperature and irradiance on growth, vegetative propagation and photosynthetic activity of R. okamurae. Apical and interdichotomous fragments of thallus were cultivated under different temperatures (14 and 22 °C) and irradiances (35 and 70 µmol photons m-2 s-1) under controlled laboratory conditions. The effects of these treatments were studied on the relative growth rate, propagules proliferation and the photosynthetic activity expressed as fluorescence of chlorophyll a. Results show that the growth capacity of the thallus depends on the presence or not of the apical cells in the thallus, and that their presence, determines the potential of the thallus for vegetative propagation. Moreover, it has been observed that conditions of low temperature and irradiance favour the propagation capacity of the species, as well as its photosynthetic activity. These results are of great interest to understand the invasive behaviour of the species, since they allow us to identify, on the one hand, the breakdown of thallus as a propagation mechanism of the species that favours the recruitment of new clone individuals, and, on the other hand, to determine that this capacity is active in the annual thermal range of the invaded region.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Nutrients and temperature affect growth and photosynthesis of invasive seaweed Rugulopteryx okamurae.

Since Rugulopteryx okamurae was identified in 2016 on Spanish coasts, it is producing massive proliferations causing a homogenization on the marine ecosystem and economic impacts. In order to achieve an efficient management of the invasive species, the knowledge of basic aspects of its biology, such as the role of environmental factors on its growth and photosynthetic activity is essential. In this context, the objective of the present work was to determine the combined effects of nutrients and temperature of growth and photosynthesis of three seasonally observed morphotypes of R. okamurae, under controlled laboratory conditions. Wild thalli of R. okamurae cultivated for 21 days under four combinations of nutrients concentration (NO3- and PO43-) and temperature (15, 19 and 23 °C). Relative growth rates and photosynthetic parameters estimated from oxygen evolution measurements were determined. The results show that nutrient and temperature are factors that could influence on growth and photosynthesis of the invasive species with differences among morphotypes. These results can be related to the observed seasonal variations of the production of R. okamurae and natural cyclic fluctuations of nutrients, which will allow us to identify the vulnerability windows of this species.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

The perceived consequences and self-concept of a successful weight loss – A qualitative study

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada ao ISPA - Instituto UniversitárioA obesidade e a perda de peso implicam gerir percepções face à imagem corporal e lidar com padrões sociais. A investigação mostra que o excesso de peso e a obesidade têm impacto negativo na saúde física e no estado psicológico. A imagem corporal compreende o eixo atitudinal, que inclui a componente avaliativa e de investimento, e o eixo da auto-percepção. Sendo um conjunto de generalizações cognitivas, o auto-conceito inclui percepções específicas sobre o indivíduo em contextos particulares. Sendo que a qualidade da imagem corporal afecta a auto-estima, é pertinente o estudo do auto-conceito na experiência de perda de peso. Pretende-se avaliar de forma qualitativa as consequências percebidas e o auto-conceito, e desenvolver modelos explicativos (análise de correspondência múltipla). Foram entrevistados trinta participantes que realizaram uma perda de peso bem-sucedida (perda mínima de 7% do peso inicial e manutenção mínima de 12 meses). O conteúdo das entrevistas foi transcrito e submetido a análise temática e de conteúdo. As consequências percebidas organizam-se num modelo de três factores (Crescimento pessoal/Adversidades sociais, Imagem corporal/Benefícios sociais, e Bem-estar físico/emocional), compreendendo consequências como problemas relacionais e bem-estar/felicidade. Também o auto-conceito se organizou num modelo de três factores (Investimento eficaz/Auto-estima equilibrada, Ambivalente, e Aceitação positiva/Foco), incorporando auto-conceito físico e da personalidade explícita. Incluir em igual proporção ambos os géneros e utilizar entrevistas gravadas são vantagens que destacam a contribuição da investigação. O estudo amplifica o conhecimento das consequências percebidas e do auto-conceito, no contexto de uma perda de peso bem-sucedida. A análise retrospectiva é considerada uma limitação.ABSTRACT: Managing obesity and weight loss entails dealing with body image perceptions and social standards. Research shows that overweight and obesity have negative impact on physical health and affect individuals’ psychological state. The body image structure comprehends the attitudinal axis, including the evaluative and the investment components, and the self-perception axis. Designated as cognitive generalizations, the self-concept can comprehend specific perceptions about oneself according a particular context. Since the body image quality affects the self-esteem, it’s relevant the self-concept study on the experience of weight loss. The present aim is to evaluate the perceived consequences and self-concept in a qualitative methodology, and develop models (multiple correspondence analysis). Thirty men and women who have made a successful weight loss (loss at least 7% of initial weight and maintained for at least 12 months) were interviewed. The content of the transcribed interviews was subjected to thematic and content analysis. Perceived consequences organize a three factor model (Personal growth/Social adversities, Bogy image/Social benefits, and Physical/Emotional well-being), including relational problems and well-being/happiness as perceived consequences. The self-concept also establishes a three factor model (Effective investment/Balanced self-esteem, Ambivalent, and Positive acceptance/Focused), incorporating physical and explicit personality self-concepts. Including the same proportion of both genders and using in-depth, audio-recorded interviews are advantages that emphasize the contribution of the present investigation. This study expands the knowledge about perceived consequences and self-concept, in the context of a successful weight loss. The retrospective analysis is considered a limitation

FOODLIT-trial: protocol of a randomised controlled digital intervention to promote food literacy and sustainability Behaviours in Adults Using the Health Action Process Approach and the behaviour change techniques taxonomy during the COVID-19 pandemic

Dietary quality and sustainability are central matters to the international community, emphasised by the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic. To promote healthier and more sustainable food-related practices, the protocol of a web-based intervention to enhance adults’ food literacy is presented. The FOODLIT-Trial is a two-arm, parallel, experimental, and single-blinded randomised controlled trial delivered over 11 weeks. Based on the Food Literacy Wheel framework and supported by the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) and the Behaviour Change Techniques Taxonomy, weekly content with customised behaviour change techniques (experimental group) is hypothesised to be more effective to promote food behaviour change when compared to a single-time and non-customised delivery of food-related international guidelines, with no theoretically informed approaches (comparison group). Primary outcome is food literacy, including food-related knowledge, skills, and behaviours, assessed with the FOODLIT-Tool; a secondary outcome includes psychological mechanisms that efficaciously predict change in participants’ food literacy, measured with HAPA-driven items. Enlisted through online sources, participants will be assessed across five time points (baseline, post-intervention, and 3-, 6-, and 9-month follow-ups, i.e., T0–T4). A randomisation check will be conducted, analyses will follow an intention-to-treat approach, and linear two-level models within- (T0–T4) and between-level (nested in participants) will be computed, together with a longitudinal mediation analysis. If effective, the FOODLIT-Trial will provide for a multidimensional and cost-effective intervention to enable healthier and more sustainable food practices over the long term.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio