Browsing by Author "Pellegrini, Nicoletta"
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Benefits of dietary fibre to human health: study from a multi-country platformPublication . Guiné, Raquel; Duarte, João; Ferreira, Manuela; Correia, Paula; Leal, Marcela; Rumbak, Ivana; Baric, Irena; Komes, Drazenka; Satalic, Zvonimir; Saric, Marijana Matek; Tarcea, Monica; Fazakas, Zita; Jovanoska, Dijana; Vanevski, Dragoljub; Vittadini, Elena; Pellegrini, Nicoletta; Szucs, Viktória; Harangozó, Júlia; EL-Kenawy, Ayman; EL-Shenawy, Omnia; Yalçin, Erkan; Kösemeci, Cem; Klava, Dace; Straumite, EvitaPurpose: Because dietary fibre has been recognized as a major ally to the maintenance of a healthy body as well as to help against the development of some chronic diseases, this work aimed at studying the level of knowledge of a relatively wide range of people about the health effects related to the ingestion of dietary fibre in appropriate dosages. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was undertaken on a non-probabilistic sample of 6010 participants. The data were collected from 10 countries in 3 different continents (Europe, Africa and America) and measured the level of knowledge regarding different health benefits from dietary fibre. The questionnaires were applied by direct interview after verbal informed consent. Findings: The results obtained considering the general level of knowledge revealed a considerable degree of information about the benefits of fibre (average score of 3.54±0.5, on a scale from 1 to 5). There were significant differences between genders (p<0.001), with higher average score for women, and also for level of education (p<0.001), with higher score for university level. The living environment also showed significant differences (p<0.001), with people living in urban areas showing a higher degree of knowledge. Also for countries the differences were significant (p<0.001), with the highest score obtained for Portugal (3.7), and the lowest for Croatia, Italy, Latvia, Macedonia and Romania (3.5). However, despite these differences, the results showed that for all the countries the degree of knowledge was good (above 3.5), corresponding to a minimum level of knowledge of 70%. Originality/Value: This work is considered important due to the wide coverage, including so many countries inclusive with different social and cultural settings. The study allowed concluding that, in general, the participants in the study were quite well informed about the benefits of dietary fibre for the improvement of human health, regardless of gender, level of education, living environment or country. This finding is very relevant considering the diversity of people that composed the sample and reinforces the necessity of continuing with educational policies aimed at providing the general population with the knowledge that might help them make appropriate food choices.
- Food Choice Determinants and Perceptions of a Healthy Diet among Italian ConsumersPublication . Wongprawmas, Rungsaran; Mora, Cristina; Pellegrini, Nicoletta; Guiné, Raquel P. F.; Carini, Eleonora; Sogari, Giovanni; Vittadini, ElenaHealthy food choices are crucial for a healthy lifestyle. However, food choices are complex and affected by various factors. Understanding the determinant factors affecting food choices could aid policy-makers in designing better strategies to promote healthy food choices in the general public. This study aims to evaluate the food choice motivations and to segment consumer groups, according to their food choice motivations, in a sample of 531 Italian consumers (collected by convenience sampling), through offline and online survey platforms. K-means cluster analysis was applied to identify consumer groups using six food choice motivation categories (health, emotional, economic and availability, social and cultural, environmental and political, and marketing and commercial). The results suggest that the strongest determinants for the food choices of Italian consumers are Environmental factors and Health. Two consumer profiles were identified through the segmentation analysis: Emotional eating and Health-driven consumers. The respondents were found to have a good awareness of what comprises a healthy diet. There is a potential market for healthy and sustainable food products, especially products with minimal or environmentally friendly packages. Food labels and information strategies could be promoted as tools to assist consumers to make healthy food choices.
- Knowledge about dietary fibre: a fibre study frameworkPublication . Guiné, Raquel; Ferreira, Manuela; Correia, Paula; Duarte, João; Leal, Marcela; Rumbak, Ivana; Barić, Irena C.; Komes, Drazenka; Satalić, Zvonimir; Sarić, Marijana M.; Tarcea, Monica; Fazakas, Zita; Jovanoska, Dijana; Vanevski, Dragoljub; Vittadini, Elena; Pellegrini, Nicoletta; Szűcs, Viktória; Harangozó, Júlia; EL-Kenawy, Ayman; EL-Shenawy, Omnia; Yalçın, Erkan; Kösemeci, Cem; Klava, Dace; Straumite, EvitaThe objective of this work was to study the degree of knowledge about dietary fibre (DF), as influenced by factors such as gender, level of education, living environment or country. For this, a descriptive cross-sectional study was undertaken on a non-probabilistic sample of 6010 participants from 10 countries in different continents (Europe, Africa and America). The results showed that the participants revealed on average a positive but still low global level of knowledge, which alerts for the need to take some actions to further inform the population about DF and its role as a component of a healthy diet. The results also indicated differences between genders, levels of education, living environments and countries. The highest level of knowledge was revealed by the participants from female gender, with higher education and living in urban areas. Concerning the country, the best informed were the participants from Romania, followed by those from Portugal and Turkey while the least informed were from Egypt.
- Romanian versus European Practices towards Dietary FibersPublication . Tarcea, Monica; Nemes, Levente; Szucs, Victoria; Pellegrini, Nicoletta; Straumite, Evita; Erkan, Yalcin; Leal, Marcela; Guiné, RaquelIntroduction: The goal of our study was to evaluate the Romanian practices regarding dietary fibers from food products versus other European countries. Methods: We made a qualitative survey based on a questionnaire applied in 2015, over 670 Romanian consumers from different counties, focused on the practices and knowledge towards ingestion of foods rich in fibers. The same questionnaire was applied in other 7 European countries, part of an international project design. Results: Our results showed that ingestion of food rich in fibers (fruits, vegetables and whole grains) were lower than european recommendations. The female participants ate more whole grains and fruits than males (p<0.001) and pay more attention to food labelling, also knowledge about fibers benefits was significantly related to education and urban location. Regarding the differences by countries, the highest fruit consumption was found for Portugal (11.7 portions per week), while the lowest was for Latvia (7.1). Young European females, with more than high school education, were most interested in fibers and considered internet and television like main sources of information. Conclusion: We emphasize the needs for more efficient community interventions for young people about the importance of dietary fibers for non-communicable diseases prevention and a healthy lifestyle.