10 research outputs found
Comparison of the ingestion of fibre rich foods in different countries
Introduction: The ingestion of fruits, vegetables and cereals, especially whole grain, is associated
with a healthy lifestyle and has been recognized as having multiple health benefits, associated,
among others, to the ingestion of adequate amounts of dietary fibre.
Objective: The aim of this work was to evaluate some eating habits related to fibre rich foods in
six different countries: Argentina, Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal and Romania.
Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out by means of questionnaire survey
applied to a sample of 4905 participants, all over the age of 18 years old. The preparation and
application of the questionnaire followed the necessary ethical guidelines and the treatment
was made by SPSS.
Results: The results showed that for the global sample was observed a low ingestion of salads
and vegetables (78.2%), being this particularly problematic for Croatia (86.6%). Regarding the
consumption of fruits, for the whole sample the great majority also showed a low consumption
(92.3%), and for Latvian participants the percentage is very much expressive (98.3%). As for the
consumption of whole cereals, most participants also showed a low consumption, either for the
global sample (72.6%) or in the different countries, and particularly for Latvia (90.0%). Some
eating habits were also studied and it was observed that for the whole sample 71.9% showed a
low frequency of meals ate out of home, while 88.6% revealed acceptable frequency of eating
fast food, i.e, only once or twice a week. Conclusions: The results indicated that in the countries at study the ingestion of foods rich in
dietary fibre is very low, and therefore it is necessary to implement strategies to increase the
consumption of such foods.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Level of information about dietary fibre: a study involving 10 Countries
Introduction: Dietary fibre (DF) is recognized as healthy for long, so that health claims are
allowed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) due to its proved benefits, extended but
not only confined to many diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Objective: This work intended to analyse the level of information about DF in 10 countries,
situated in Europe, Africa and South America.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was undertaken through a survey based on a
questionnaire of self-response applied to a sample of 6010 participants. The data were lately
treated by factor and cluster analyses, including validation methodologies.
Results: Factor analysis showed that ten of the twelve items used to assess the knowledge about
DF could be arranged into two factors: one related to health effects (α =0.854) and the other to
the sources (α =0.644). Furthermore, cluster analysis showed that the participants could be
divided into three groups: 1) Good knowledge about sources and health effects of DF; 2) Good
knowledge about the sources of DF but poor knowledge about the health effects; 3) Poor
knowledge about the sources and health effects of DF. Conclusions: The results clearly allowed identifying two factors and three clusters, and the
variables that most influenced cluster membership were country, living environment and level
of education.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Cluster analysis to the factors related to information about food fi bers: A multinational study
The adequate intake of dietary fibres is essential to human health. Hence, this work intended to evaluate the level knowledge of about food fibres and investigate what factors might be associated with it.
It was undertaken a descriptive cross-sectional study on a sample composed of 6,010 participants from ten different countries. The survey was based on a questionnaire of self-response, approved and complying with all ethical issues. The data collected were subjected to factor analysis and cluster analysis techniques. Validation was made by splitting the data set into two equal parts for confirmation of the results. Factor analysis allowed concluding that ten from the 12 variables used to measure the knowledge about dietary fibre should be grouped into two dimensions or factors: one linked to health effects of dietary fibre (α =0.854) and the other to its sources (α =0.644). Cluster analysis showed that the participants could be divided into three groups: Cluster 1 – Good knowledge both about sources and health effects of dietary fibre; Cluster 2 – Good knowledge about the sources of dietary fibre but poor knowledge about its health effects; Cluster 3 – Poor knowledge both about sources and health effects of dietary fibre. The data was appropriate for analysis by means of factor and cluster analysis, so that two factors and three clusters were clearly identified. Moreover, the cluster membership was found varying mostly according to country, living environment and level of education but not according to age or gender.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio