Browsing by Author "Komes, D."
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- Cluster analysis to the factors related to information about food fi bers: A multinational studyPublication . Guiné, Raquel; Correia, Paula; Leal, M.; Rumbak, I.; Baric, I.; Komes, D.; Satalic, Z.; Saric, M.; Tarcea, M.; Fazakas, Z.; jovanoska, D.; Vanevski, D.; Vittadini, E.; Pellegrini, N.; Szucs, V.; Harangozo, J.; El-Kenawy, A.; El-Shenawy, O.; Yalcin, E.; Kosemeci, C.; Klava, D.; Straumite, E.; Ferreira, Manuela; Florença, S.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.
- Comparative study about some eating habits in six countries: eating out and fast food consumptionPublication . Guiné, Raquel; Florença, S. G.; Leal, M.; Rumbak, I.; Komes, D.; Saric, M. M.; Tarcea, M.; Fazalas, Z.; Szucs, V.; Klava, D.; Straumite, E.; Baric, I.Poor diets have proven very detrimental for the maintenance of good health and eating an excessive amount of fast food and highly processed meals can harm the general health status of the population. Hence, this work investigates the habits related to eating outside the home and frequency of eating fast food meals in participants from six different countries. A cross-sectional descriptive study was undertaken on a sample of 4,904 adult participants. For the data treatment, basic statistics were complemented with tree classification analysis, using the CRT algorithm. This study concluded that in the sample under study the frequency of eating out of home was in general low, corresponding to four or fewer times per week for 71.9% of the participants, and the consumption of fast food meals was also acceptable, i.e., with a low frequency of up to two times per week in 88.6% of the respondents. The biggest differences were encountered when comparing participants from different age groups, countries or sexes, and not so much for living environment or education level. Tree classification analysis highlighted the relative importance of the considered factors for eating out and fast food meals, being country and age confirmed as the most influential factors. In the evaluated sample the incidence of eating out and fast food meals were low, which is a good indicator to contribute globally for the good health status of the participants involved in the study.
- Comparison of the ingestion of fibre rich foods in different countriesPublication . Florença, Sofia G.; Leal, M.; Rumbak, I.; Baric, I.; Komes, D.; Satalic, D.; Saric, M.; Tarcea, M.; Fazakas, Z.; Szucks, V.; Harangozo, J.; Klava, D.; Straumite, E.; Guiné, RaquelIntroduction: 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.
- Factor and cluster analysis to knowledge about dietary fibrePublication . Guiné, Raquel; Correia, Paula; Klava, D.; Straumite, E.; Szűcs, V.; Harangozó, J.; Tarcea, M.; Fazakas, Z.; Rumbak, I.; Barić, I. C.; Komes, D.; Satalić, Z.; Sarić, M. M.; Yalçın, E.; Kösemeci, C.; Leal, M.; Jovanoska, D.; Vanevski, D.; Vittadini, E.; Pellegrini, N.; EL-Kenawy, A.; EL-Shenawy, O.The present study was aimed at investigating what are the people’s levels of information about dietary fibre (DF) and how they relate to some fators that result from the people’s perceptions associated with the knowledge about DF. The study consisted of a descriptive cross-sectional survey undertaken on a sample of over 6 thousand participants, original from 10 countries. Statistical techniques like factor analysis and cluster analysis were applied to the data. Factor analysis showed that 10 out of the 12 variables used to measure the knowledge about DF could be grouped into 2 factors: one associated with health effects of DF and the other with its natural sources. The internal consistency of both factors was evaluated by the Cronbach’s alfa (0.854 and 0.644, respectively). Cluster analysis revealed that the participants could be divided into 3 groups: Cluster 1 – Good knowledge both about sources and health effects of DF; Cluster 2 – Good knowledge about the sources of DF but poor knowledge about its health effects; Cluster 3 – Poor knowledge both about sources and health effects of DF. The results were subject to analysis of stability by spliting the data set in 2 halfs. The cluster membership was found associated with living environment and level of education, but not with age, gender or country.
- Is Better Knowledge about Health Benefits of Dietary Fiber Related to Food Labels Reading Habits? A Croatian OverviewPublication . Ljubičić, M.; Sarić, M. M.; Rumbak, I.; Barić, I. C.; Sarić, A.; Komes, D.; Šatalić, Z.; Dželalija, B.; Guiné, Raquel P. F.The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the associations between health dietary patterns, knowledge, and consumption of dietary fiber (DF) with frequency of food label reading on food products with special reference to DF. The study was conducted in 2536 Croatian adults using an original questionnaire. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess associations between food label reading habits and predictor variables. Our study confirms the association between habits regarding the reading of labels on food products, especially in relation to information about DF with the sociodemographic factors of respondents, dietary food patterns and DF consumption, as well as knowledge and sources of information about DF. Women, individuals with a university-level education, and those living in an urban environment had more frequent labels used. Food habits as well as eating outside of the home were positive predictors while eating fast food was a negative predictor of food label reading. Knowledge about DF, especially about its health benefits, was also associated with food label reading. The interpretation of associations could help with the design of effective public health programs. Targeted education campaigns to educate and sensitize the population about food labeling and monitoring may improve general knowledge about healthy food and its benefits, which include indirect effects on the prevention of non-communicable chronic diseases.
- Knowledge about dietary fibres (KADF): development and validation of an evaluation instrument through structural equation modelling (SEM)Publication . Guiné, Raquel; Duarte, J.; Ferreira, M.; Correia, P.; Leal, M.; Rumbak, I.; Barić, I.C.; Komes, D.; Satalić, Z.; Sarić, M.M.; Tarcea, M.; Fazakas, Z.; Jovanoska, D.; Vanevski, D.; Vittadini, E.; Pellegrini, N.; Szűcs, V.; Harangozó, J.; EL-Kenawy, A.; EL-Shenawy, O.; Yalçın, E.; Kösemeci, C.; Klava, D.; Straumite, E.Objectives: Because there is scientific evidence that an appropriate intake of dietary fibre should be part of a healthy diet, given its importance in promoting health, the present study aimed to develop and validate an instrument to evaluate the knowledge of the general population about dietary fibres. Study design: The present study was a cross sectional study. Methods: The methodological study of psychometric validation was conducted with 6010 participants, residing in ten countries from 3 continents. The instrument is a questionnaire of self-response, aimed at collecting information on knowledge about food fibres. For exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was chosen the analysis of the main components using varimax orthogonal rotation and eigenvalues greater than 1. In confirmatory factor analysis by structural equation modelling (SEM) was considered the covariance matrix and adopted the Maximum Likelihood Estimation algorithm for parameter estimation. Results: Exploratory factor analysis retained two factors. The first was called Dietary Fibre and Promotion of Health (DFPH) and included 7 questions that explained 33.94 % of total variance ( = 0.852). The second was named Sources of Dietary Fibre (SDF) and included 4 questions that explained 22.46% of total variance ( = 0.786). The model was tested by SEM giving a final solution with four questions in each factor. This model showed a very good fit in practically all the indexes considered, except for the ratio 2/df. The values of average variance extracted (0.458 and 0.483) demonstrate the existence of convergent validity; the results also prove the existence of discriminant validity of the factors (r2 = 0.028) and finally good internal consistency was confirmed by the values of composite reliability (0.854 and 0.787). Conclusions: This study allowed validating the KADF scale, increasing the degree of confidence in the information obtained through this instrument in this and in future studies.
- Knowledge about sources of dietary fibres and health effects using a validated scale: a cross-country studyPublication . Guiné, Raquel; Duarte, J.; Ferreira, M.; Correia, P.; Leal, M.; Rumbak, I.; Barić, I.C.; Komes, D.; Satalić, Z.; Sarić, M.M.; Tarcea, M.; Fazakas, Z.; Jovanoska, D.; Vanevski, D.; Vittadini, E.; Pellegrini, N.; Szűcs, V.; Harangozó, J.; EL-Kenawy, A.; EL-Shenawy, O.; Yalçın, E.; Kösemeci, C.; Klava, D.; Straumite, E.Objectives Dietary fibre (DF) is one of the components of diet that strongly contributes to health improvements, particularly on the gastrointestinal system. Hence, this work intended to evaluate the relations between some sociodemographic variables such as age, gender, level of education, living environment or country on the levels of knowledge about dietary fibre (KADF), its sources and its effects on human health, using a validated scale. Study design The present study was a cross-sectional study. Methods A methodological study was conducted with 6010 participants, residing in 10 countries from different continents (Europe, America, Africa). The instrument was a questionnaire of self-response, aimed at collecting information on knowledge about food fibres. The instrument was used to validate a scale (KADF) which model was used in the present work to identify the best predictors of knowledge. The statistical tools used were as follows: basic descriptive statistics, decision trees, inferential analysis (t-test for independent samples with Levene test and one-way ANOVA with multiple comparisons post hoc tests). Results The results showed that the best predictor for the three types of knowledge evaluated (about DF, about its sources and about its effects on human health) was always the country, meaning that the social, cultural and/or political conditions greatly determine the level of knowledge. On the other hand, the tests also showed that statistically significant differences were encountered regarding the three types of knowledge for all sociodemographic variables evaluated: age, gender, level of education, living environment and country. Conclusions The results showed that to improve the level of knowledge the actions planned should not be delineated in general as to reach all sectors of the populations, and that in addressing different people, different methodologies must be designed so as to provide an effective health education.
- Level of information about dietary fibre: a study involving 10 CountriesPublication . Guiné, Raquel; Leal, Marcela; Rumbak, I.; Baric, I.; Komes, D.; Satalic, Z.; Saric, M.; Tarcea, M.; Fazakas, Z.; Jovanoska, D.; Vanevski, D.; Yalcin, E.; Vittadini, E.; Pellegrini, N.; Szucs, V.; Harangozo, J.; El-Kenawy, A.; El-Shenawy, O.; yalcin, E.; Kosemeci, C.; Klava, D.; Straumite, E.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.
- Sources of Information about Dietary Fibre: A Cross-Country SurveyPublication . Ferreira, M.; Guiné, Raquel; Duarte, J.; Correia, P.; Leal, M.; Baric, I.C.; Komes, D.; Saric, M.M.; Tarcea, M.; Fazakas, Z.; Jovanoska, D.; Vanevski, D.; Vittadini, E.; Pellegrini, N.; Szűcs, V.; Harangozo, J.; EL-Kenawy, A.; EL-Shenawy, O.; Yalcin, E.; Kosemeci, C.; Klava, D.; Straumite, E.Dietary fibre (DF) has been recognized as a major determinant for improvement of health. Hence the means of information through which people become aware of its benefits are crucial. This work aimed at studying the sources of information about DF, as a means to educate people about aspects related to healthy eating. Factors such as gender, level of education, living environment or country were evaluated as to their effect on the selection of sources and preferences. For this, a descriptive cross-sectional study by means of a questionnaire, applied to a non-probabilistic sample of 6010 participants from 10 countries in different continents (Europe, Africa and America), answered after informed consent by all participants. For the analysis were used several descriptive statistics tools, crosstabs and chi square test to assess the relations between some of the variables under study. The results showed that mostly the information about DF comes from the internet, but the participants recognize that television might be a most suitable way to disseminate information about DF. The results also indicated differences between genders, levels of education, living environments and countries. The internet, the preferred source of information, got highest scores for Hungary, for urban areas, for university level of education and for female gender. The radio, the least scored source of information, was preferred in Egypt, for men and with lower education (primary school). As a conclusion, people get information through the internet due to easy access. However, it is to some extent a risk given the impossibility to control de information made public on the internet. The role of health centers and hospitals as well as schools should definitely be increased, as a responsible way to ensure correct information.