Browsing by Author "Ljubičić, Marija"
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- Consumer knowledge and attitudes toward healthy eating in Croatia: a cross-sectional studyPublication . Ljubičić, Marija; Sarić, Marijana Matek; Barić, Irena Colić; Rumbak, Ivana; Komes, Draženka; Šatalić, Zvonimir; Guiné, RaquelUnlike fast and restaurant food, diet rich in fibre is known to contribute significantly to health. The aim of our study was to assess eating habits such as consumption of fibre-rich, fast, and restaurant food of the general population in Croatia. For this purpose we used a validated survey designed by the Polytechnic Institute Viseu in Portugal, which includes questions about demographics, good eating habits related to the consumption of the main sources of dietary fibre (fruit, vegetables, and whole grains), and unhealthy eating habits related to the consumption of fast food and restaurant meals. Between October 2014 and March 2015 we received answers from 2,536 respondents aged between 18-70 years, of whom 67.4 % were women and 32.6 % were men. Most respondents reported consuming one serving of vegetables and one piece of fruit a day, and whole grains every other day. Women and urban residents reported consuming larger amounts of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains than men (p<0.001). Men, in turn, reported eating out and eating fast food more often than women (p<0.001). Eating out highly correlated with eating fast food, which translates to lower consumption of dietary fibre (p<0.001). Higher education correlated positively with the consumption of fibre-rich food, but it also correlated positively with the consumption of fast and restaurant food (p<0.001). While eating fast food is not the predominant dietary practice in Croatia, over 50 % of respondents have reported eating fast food at least once a week. Our data also indicate that consumption of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains falls below the national and international dietary recommendations.
- Emotions and Food Consumption: Emotional Eating Behavior in a European PopulationPublication . Ljubičić, Marija; Matek Sarić, Marijana; Klarin, Ivo; Rumbak, Ivana; Colić Barić, Irena; Ranilović, Jasmina; Dželalija, Boris; Sarić, Ana; Nakić, Dario; Djekic, Ilija; Korzeniowska, Małgorzata; Bartkiene, Elena; Papageorgiou, Maria; Tarcea, Monica; Černelič-Bizjak, Maša; Klava, Dace; Szűcs, Viktória; Vittadini, Elena; Bolhuis, Dieuwerke; Guiné, Raquel P. F.Emotion can reflect in the perception of food consumption. An increase in food intake during emotional and psychological conditions may have a negative impact on human health. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the associations between food consumption, emotional eating behavior, and emotional conditions such as stress, depression, loneliness, boredom eating, maintaining vigilance and alertness, and emotional food consolation. We used a Motivations for Food Choices Questionnaire (Eating Motivations, EATMOT) to determine the emotional aspects of food consumption in 9052 respondents living in 12 European countries between October 2017 and March 2018. Ordinal linear regression was used to identify the associations between the emotional eating behavior and emotional conditions such as stress, depression, loneliness, emotional consolation, and reasons to improve physical and psychological conditions. The regression models confirmed the associations between food consumption, emotional conditions, and emotional eating behavior. Associations were found between the emotional eating behavior and stress (odds ratio (OR) = 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.07–1.60, p = 0.010), depressive mood (OR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.40–1.43, p < 0.001), loneliness (OR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.58–1.62, p < 0.001), boredom (OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.36–1.39, p < 0.001), and emotional consolation (OR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.54–1.57, p < 0.001). Emotional eating was associated with an effort to improve physical and psychological conditions, such as controlling body weight (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.10–1.12, p < 0.001), keeping awake and alert (OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.19–1.20, p < 0.001) and consumption to feel good (OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.21–1.22, p < 0.001). In conclusion, emotions might provoke emotional eating behavior. The appropriate way to handle stress, depression, or other emotional states is important in conditions of being emotionally overwhelmed. The public should be educated on how to handle different emotional states. The focus should be moved somehow from emotional eating and the consumption of unhealthy food to healthy lifestyle practices, including regular exercise and healthy eating habits. Thus, it is necessary to halt these negative health effects on human health through public health programs.
- Is Better Knowledge about Health Benefits of Dietary Fiber Related to Food Labels Reading Habits? A Croatian OverviewPublication . Ljubičić, Marija; Sarić, Marijana Matek; Rumbak, Ivana; Barić, Irena Colić; Sarić, Ana; Komes, Draženka; Šatalić, Zvonimir; Dželalija, Boris; 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.
- Motivation for health behaviour: A predictor of adherence to balanced and healthy food across different coastal Mediterranean countriesPublication . Ljubičić, Marija; Sarić, Marijana Matek; Klarin, Ivo; Rumbak, Ivana; Barić, Irena Colić; Ranilović, Jasmina; EL-Kenawy, Ayman; Papageorgiou, Maria; Vittadini, Elena; Bizjak, Maša Černelič; Guiné, RaquelThis cross-sectional study aimed to assess perceptions of healthy food and motivation for health behaviour (MHB) in different Mediterranean countries. Multiple linear regression was used to identify the association between perception of healthy food and MHB in different countries. The highest MHB was observed in Portugal (median 38.0; IQR 7.0) and the lowest in Greece (median 34.0; IQR 8.0). Compared to Portuguese respondents, respondents from Croatia (ß=0.35; p < 0.001), Egypt (ß=0.24; p < 0.001), and Greece (ß=0.10; p < 0.001) had a higher probability of a better perception of healthy food. Slovenia respondents had reduced perception of healthy food (ß=-0.10; p < 0.001) and MHB (ß=-0.22; p < 0.001), despite higher adherence to a healthy diet (ß=0.22; p < 0.001). Lifestyle habits, such as physical exercise, showed a weak association with MHB (ß=0.14; p < 0.001) and adherence to healthy food (ß=0.18; p < 0.001). The presence of most chronic diseases was negatively associated with MHB. The association between the perception of healthy food, MHB, and adherence to a balanced and healthy diet across different countries could be useful for implementing strategies to promote healthy eating and prevent chronic diseases.
- Study about Food Choice Determinants According to Six Types of Conditioning Motivations in a Sample of 11,960 ParticipantsPublication . Guiné, Raquel; Bartkiene, Elena; Szűcs, Viktória; Tarcea, Monica; Ljubičić, Marija; Černelič-Bizjak, Maša; Isoldi, Kathy; EL-Kenawy, Ayman; Ferreira, Vanessa; Straumite, Evita; Korzeniowska, Małgorzata; Vittadini, Elena; Leal, Marcela; Frez-Muñoz, Lucia; Papageorgiou, Maria; Djekić, Ilija; Ferreira, Manuela; Correia, Paula; Cardoso, Ana Paula; Duarte, JoãoMany aspects linked to personal characteristics, society and culture constitute some of the motivators that drive food choice. The aim of this work was to determine in what extent the eating behaviors of individuals are shaped by six different types of determinants, namely: health, emotions, price and availability, society and culture, environment and politics, and marketing and commercials. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study, involving a non-probabilistic sample of 11,960 participants from 16 countries. The objective of this work was to validate the questionnaire, so as to make it suitable for application in different contexts and different countries. For that, six scales were considered for validation by confirmatory factor analysis with structural equation modelling. The obtained results showed that the six individual scales evaluated presented good or very good fitting indices, with saturation in goodness-of-fit index in all cases. The values of chi-square ratio were 6.921 (for health), 0.987 (environment), 0.610 (emotions) and 0.000 in the remaining cases (convenience, society, marketing). Furthermore, the fit was perfect, with saturation for all indices, in three of the six models (convenience, society and marketing). The results of this wok allowed the validation of the six scales, and the assessing of different types of factors that can influence food choices and eating behaviors, namely in the categories: health, emotions, price and availability, society and culture, environment and politics, and marketing and commercials.