Browsing by Author "Rumbak, Ivana"
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- 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.
- 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.
- EATMOT Project: Eating motivations in different parts of the world, and particularly in countries from the Mediterranean AreaPublication . Guiné, Raquel; Ferrão, Ana Cristina; Ferreira, Manuela; Correia, Paula; Cardoso, Ana Paula; Duarte, João; Rumbak, Ivana; Vittadini, Elena; Papageorgiou, Maria; EL-Kenawy, AymanThe EATMOT Project is a multinational study about different eating motivations, and that is being carried out in 18 countries. The project addresses several types of factors that are related to food choice and consumption patterns, and that may in some extent condition the eating motivations, namely health related factors; economic and availability aspects; emotional determinants; social, cultural and religious influences; marketing and advertising campaigns and finally environmental concerns. The study is based on a questionnaire that was prepared purposely for the project, and therefore adequate to evaluate the aspects that determine the objectives highlighted. The study is coordinated by Portugal and involves a team of about 70 researchers from 16 countries, distributed as follows: Argentina, Brazil and United States in the American continent; Egypt in African continent; and the remaining countries in Europe: Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia and Romania. The collected results surpass 12 thousand cases and allow, among many other studies, characterizing the eating motivations in different parts of the world, including the Mediterranean surrounding countries or countries which are typically linked to the Mediterranean diet, specifically: Croatia, Egypt, Italy, Greece or Portugal.
- 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.
- Evalution through artificial neural networks of the sociodemographic Influences on food choicesPublication . Guiné, Raquel; Ferrão, Ana Cristina; Correia, Paula; Ferreira, Manuela; Mendes, Mateus; Leal, Marcela; Ferreira, Vanessa; Rumbak, Ivana; El-Said, Ayman; Papageorgiou, Maria; Szucs, Viktória; Vittadini, Elena; Klava, Dace; Bartkiene, Elena; Munoz, Lucia; Korzeniowska, Małgorzata; Tarcea, Monica; Djekic, Ilija; Bizjak, Maša; Isoldi, KathyIntroduction: The EATMOT Project is a multinational study that is being carried out in 16 countries about different eating motivations, given their recognized importance in the definition of people’s dietary patterns. Objective: This study investigated the influence of sociodemographic factors on some types of eating motivations, specifically: health related factors; economic and availability aspects; emotional determinants; social, cultural and religious influences; marketing and advertising campaigns and finally environmental concerns. Methods: This is a longitudinal observational study carried out on a non-probabilistic sample with 11960 participants. For the analysis of the data were used the T-test for independent samples or ANOVA with Post-Hoc Tukey HSD, depending on the case. The modelling through artificial neural networks included 7 input variables (sociodemographic characteristics) and 6 output variables (the eating motivations’ groups). Results: Variables like age, marital status, country, living environment, level of education or professional area significantly influenced all the types of eating motivations analysed. However, regarding gender, no significant differences were observed for two of the six types of motivations analysed: economic & availability and marketing & commercial. The results of the ANN modelling showed that the strongest positive factors determining the eating motivations were age for health, country for emotional motivations, gender for economic & availability, country for social & cultural, country for environmental & political, and finally country also for the marketing & commercial motivations. Conclusions: These results highlight the importance of the sociodemographic characteristics as determinants for eating patterns around the globe, and particularly the geographic location.
- 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.
- 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 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.
- 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.
- Motivations Associated with Food Choices among Adults from Urban SettingPublication . Ilić, Ana; Rumbak, Ivana; Dizdarić, Dina; Matek Sarić, Marijana; Colić Barić, Irena; Guiné, RaquelMotivation for food choices is one of the most important determinant of eating behavior, because it comes from within the person. The aim of this study was to observe food choice motivations and estimate differences in demographic and health characteristics towards food choice motives in the adult population (n = 675; 54% women, ≥18 years) from urban setting. Food choice motivations were assessed using an online questionnaire validated by the EATMOT project. Using K-Means cluster analysis, participants were divided into two clusters of six motivational categories for food choices. Regarding the most and least important motivations, participants in cluster 1 chose food based on emotional motivations, and in cluster 2, they chose based on environmental and political motivations. In addition, younger and obese individuals had more pronounced emotional motivations. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the need to address emotional motivations for healthier food choices among overweight and young people. In addition, the prevalence of health motivations and growing awareness of sustainability indicate a willingness to take actions that benefit personal health and the environment. Apart from providing education, it is society’s responsibility to create an environment that promotes the implementation of acquired knowledge and changes in dietary habits.