Instituto Politécnico de Viseu
Repositório Científico
Entradas recentes
Promoting Local Development and Food Literacy in a Rural Angolan Community
Publication . Inês Figueiredo; Margarida Campos, Sofia; Joana Andrade; Eduardo Santos; Vitor Martins; Cardoso, Ana Paula; Ferreira, Manuela
Background/Objectives: In Angola, malnutrition contributes each year to the deaths of an estimated 42,000 to 76,000 children under the age of 5. Addressing this issue must stand as a priority and requires providing local residents with access not only to nutritious food but also to adequate and accurate information in order to facilitate informed dietary choices. As part of the “Seigungo—Health, Education and Quality of Maternal and Child Life in Gungo project”, a nutrition-focused study was conducted in Gungo, Angola to evaluate the effectiveness of a training model designed to enhance food literacy among residents. Methods: Data were collected using a 14-item questionnaire developed to assess various key domains of food literacy: information seeking and access; comprehension and thematic knowledge; critical evaluation of information and behaviour; practical application and sound decision-making. Results: Thirty trainees took part in the study, of which 60% were men, with a mean age of 45.6 years. The majority were single (53.3%) and had completed six years of formal education (26.7%). Before attending the training program, 86.7% of the participants demonstrated inadequate or problematic food literacy. Following the intervention, the proportion of participants with adequate food literacy increased significantly from 13.3% to 73.3% (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The training program had a statistically significant impact on improving food literacy.
Historias de éxito académico de jóvenes en situación de vulnerabilidad: un estudio en 11 comunidades autónomas de España
Publication . Correia Campos, Edgar; Fonseca, Susana; Fernández-Simo, Deibe; Rosón, Carlos
Sexual and Reproductive Health Empowerment in Rural Angola
Publication . Andrade, Joana; Margarida Campos, Sofia; Santos, Eduardo; FIGUEIREDO, INÊS; Vitor Bruno Nóbrega Martins; Ferreira, Manuela; Cardoso, Ana Paula; Ferreira, Manuela
Background: This study focused on a community located in Sumbe, in the Kwanza Sul province of Angola. The community’s limited resources significantly affect the healthcare of its residents. Local beliefs and traditions exacerbate this issue. Considering this scenario and a preliminary diagnosis by the research team, the Seigungo project aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a training programme with different health-related modules. The module addressed in this study focused on sexual and reproductive health. Methods: This exploratory, quantitative, observational before-and-after study employed a descriptivecorrelational analysis with a sample of 30 participants (n = 30) who finished the training programme. Statistical analysis was conducted using IBM® SPSS® Statistics, version 29.0. Results: The sexual and reproductive health literacy module of the implemented training programme proved effective. Considering the results before the training, 53.3% of the health promoters presented inadequate literacy levels, and after the training this number decreased to only 3.3%. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that education and community engagement may significantly improve the levels of literacy in sexual and reproductive health, which may result in better health decisions and outcomes.
Edible Insects as Human Food: Perceptions of Individuals from Six Countries
Publication . de Pinho Ferreira Guiné, Raquel; Florença, Sofia de Guiné e; Anayansi Escalante-Aburto; Rosa María Mariscal-Moreno; César Ozuna; Lucio Rodríguez-Sifuentes; Cristina Chuck-Hernández; Marijana Matek Sarić; Nada M. Boustani; Elena Bartkiene; Cristina Filip; Simona Pârvu; Monica Tarcea
Edible insects (EIs) have been suggested as a sustainable alternative to meat from traditional sources. However, despite EIs being consumed by humans since time immemorial, it is also true that, in many areas, especially in Western countries, there is some resistance and even neophobia to their acceptance as food. This work aimed to investigate the perceptions about EIs and validate a corresponding scale. This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out by means of a questionnaire survey on a sample of 3711 participants in six countries (Croatia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Portugal and Romania). Data were analysed by factor and cluster analyses, as well as other statistical tools. The results showed that, out of the initial 36 items in the questionnaire, 24 were validated in the scale of perceptions, distributed across six factors. Cluster analysis showed that the participants could be grouped according to three clusters (Traditionalists, Shoppers and Innovators). Statistical tests revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) between the clusters in practically all sociodemographic and consumption variables studied. Finally, a word analysis of the 2263 words indicated by the participants when thinking about EIs revealed that the most frequent words were ‘disgusting’, ‘protein’, and ‘nutritive’ in all three clusters. However, differences were observed after the fourth position in the list of most frequent words. In conclusion, these results indicate that perceptions of EIs were highly variable across countries of origin and other sociodemographic groups, and that, globally, participants exhibited some neophobia towards EIs. However, they recognised their value in terms of nutrition, particularly protein. This work evidences some relevant aspects that can be useful to adapt and define targeted policies to demystify the negative perceptions about EIs and improve consumer acceptance, thus contributing to more sustainable food systems.
Edible Insects as Sustainable Foods: Consumer Perspective
Publication . de Pinho Ferreira Guiné, Raquel; Florença, Sofia de Guiné e
Sustainability of food systems has become a major focus in the present century as a result of world overpopulation and a growing need to feed all. According to the United Nations, a significant rise in the population is expected up to 2050. Hence, producing necessary foods in quantity and quality to respond to the expected demand drives agricultural systems and livestock farms to search for alternatives to intensive production techniques, as a way to better preserve the environment and use limited natural resources [1]green (terrestrial plants and insects. Along with the implementation of innovative and more sustainable agricultural systems and animal rearing techniques, the shift towards alternative, environmentally friendly and more sustainable foods has been encouraged, including by the FAO – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations [2]. Edible insects have been consumed in many and diverse regions of the world since antiquity, being useful and valuable foods for many communities, especially rural populations. While historically insects were collected from the wild for human consumption, the production of insects has been developed as a farming activity or industrial production, following sanitary regulations, thus making them perfectly suitable and safe for human consumption. However, the consumers in regions without a tradition of entomophagy are still facing some reluctance to eating insects, and they show a high degree of discomfort, rejection, and even disgust [3, 4]. Understanding consumer reactions, expectations, motivations and knowledge has been referred to as contributing for a higher acceptability of edible insects and insect-based foods among western countries. The EISuFood project was dedicated to studying the food habits and knowledge about edible insects as sustainable foods in different countries. The countries of the project consortium were Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Croatia, Greece, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkey. The project has produced important scientific outputs, namely 17 papers already published and some more still being prepared, 2 book chapters, 1 academic thesis, 20 conference presentations, of which one was a key lecture.