Browsing by Author "Ljubicic, Marija"
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- Knowledge about dietary fibre and its health benefits: A cross-sectional survey of 2536 residents from across CroatiaPublication . Ljubicic, Marija; Saric, Marijana Matek; Rumbak, Ivana; Baric, Irena Colic; Komes, Drazenka; Satalic, Zvonimir; Guiné, RaquelThis cross-sectional study is aimed at identifying the level of understanding of the health benefits of dietary fibre in the prevention of disease, as well as the association between that understanding and fibre consumption in the Croatian population. We believe that nutritional knowledge is important for the consumption of healthy food which includes also a positive reflection on food habits and health. Only well-informed consumers can shop effectively for food rich in dietary fibre and thereby derive the health benefits that fibre can offer. We suppose the association between that understanding and fibre consumption in the Croatian population. However, this knowledge is not the only important determinant; food purchases are influenced by socioeconomic and demographic factors. Our hypothesis is that the level of knowledge about fibre and fibre consumption varies with age, gender, education level and urban or rural environment. It is our assumption that life styles, environmental conditions and education can affect the level of knowledge and perception about healthy eating habits. If this assumption is accurate, targeted education campaigns to educate and sensitise the population about fibre-rich foods and the health benefits of fibre is a priority. Public health programmes are urgently needed, particularly in rural areas, to sensitise the population to fulfill the recommended fibre intake, high-fibre food sources and the mechanisms by which fibre can help prevent disease.
- Knowledge of heatlh effects of dietary fiber among nurses and the general population in croatia: comparative analysisPublication . Ljubicic, Marija; Saric, Marijana; Curin, Katja; Guiné, RaquelINTRODUCTION: Nurses play diverse roles in educating patients about healthy diet and in promoting healthy eating habits, through their conversations with patients and families and through their work providing enteral and parenteral feeding to critically ill patients. Given the position of nurses as key providers of dietary guidance, and given the health benefits of dietary fibre, we wanted to assess the level of fibre-related knowledge among nurses in Croatia. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this cross sectional study was to compare knowledge between nurses and general population from Croatia about the health importance of consuming dietary fibre. METHODS: Knowledge of 369 nurses and 727 residents from the general population about fibre was assessed using a validated survey developed by the CI&DETS Polytechnic Institute, Viseu, Portugal. Differences between nurses and general population were assessed for significance using the Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test, while associations between study variables and knowledge were explored using Spearman rank correlation coefficients. RESULTS: The level of knowledge among nurses and the general population in Croatia about dietary fibre varies from «undecided» to «partial knowledge». No association was observed between nurse education level and either general knowledge about fibre or knowledge about the health benefits of fibre intake. No significant differences were observed between nurses and general population in general knowledge (p = 0.894) or in health-related knowledge (p = 0.578). CONCLUSION: Results suggest the need for updating and expanding nursing curricula. The similar level of knowledge between nurses and the general population about dietary fibre indicates the need to strengthen nurse education and training in the areas of diet and diet therapy in Croatia. Given the role of nurse as diet educators and advisors, this may help improve the quality of health care.
- Sources of information about dietary fibre: a cross-sectional survey of 1034 respondents from across CroatiaPublication . Matek Sarić, Marijana; Ljubicic, Marija; Guiné, RaquelNutritional knowledge and attitudes are important for the consumption of healthy food. Well-informed consumers could have a higher chance to select food rich in nutrients like dietary fibre (DF), which is recognized as one of the major determinants for the improvement of health. Due to that reason, health institutions (health centres and hospitals); media (radio, television and internet); education institutions (schools) and education materials (books and magazines) as main sources of information through which people become aware or acquire knowledge of DF, were considered. Cross-sectional survey was conducted from October 2014 to March 2015 on a non-probabilistic sample of 1034 participants from Croatia. The instrument was a questionnaire of self-response, aimed at collecting information on knowledge, attitudes and sources about DF. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed using SPSS 22.0 software considering a level of significance of 5%. The internet, the preferred source of information, got the highest scores for urban areas, university level of education and for female gender. The radio, the least scored source of information, was preferred by men and with lower education (primary school). People get most information through the internet due to easy access, but it could be detected as a possible risk given the impossibility to control information made public on the internet. It is very important to increase the impact of health centres and schools as adequately controlled public health informing sources.