Browsing by Author "Tarcea, M."
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- Analysis of food buying behavior: A multinational study frameworkPublication . Guiné, Raquel P. F.; Ferreira, Manuela; Correia, Paula; Bartkiene, E.; Szucs, V.; Tarcea, M.; Ranilović, J.; Černelič-Bizjak, M.; Isoldi, K.; EL-Kenawy, A.; Ferreira, V.; Klava, D.; Korzeniowska, M.; Vittadini, E.; Leal, M.; Frez-Muñoz, L.; Papageorgiou, M.; Djekić, I.To make everyday food choices is a complex pro- cess, involving decisions which are influenced by distinct aspects associated with, among other fac- tors, purchasing ease, competitiveness of the mar- ket, advertising campaigns and marketing strategies, to mention a few related with aspects linked to com- mercialization. Hence, the objective of this study, which is integrated in the EATMOT project, was to as- sess some factors that influence food buying and food choice, in particular related with aspects such as price,convenience and marketing, as a function of some sociodemographic and geographic variables, namely, age, gender, marital status, level of education, living environment and country of residence. This study involved a questionnaire survey undertak- en on 11,960 participants from 16 countries. The in- strument used in this study was validated and trans- lated into the different languages of the participating countries, following double sided translation-checking methodology. The participants were from: Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and United States of America. The sample was selected by convenience and the partici- pation in the study was voluntary, being the question- naire applied only to adult citizens. Basic descriptive statistics were used for data analysis and the associ- ations between variables were investigated by cross- tabs and chi square tests. Additionally, a tree classifi- cation analysis was performed to assess the relative importance of each of the sociodemographic variables (gender, age group, level of education, country, living environment or marital status). The analysis followed the Classification and Regression Trees (CRT) algorithm with cross validation and the minimum number of cas- es considered for parent or child nodes was 100 and 50, respectively. For all data analysis, the software SPSS from IBM Inc. (version 25) was used and the level of sig- nificance considered was 5%. Results showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.0005) between groups for all sociodemographic vari- ables (gender, age, education, marital status, living en- vironment, country) in terms of the value attributed to convenience, price and marketing when buying foods. In most cases, the associations between the variables were considered very weak, although with a little high- er values for the associations between the country and variables “value convenience” (V = 0.179), “value price” (V = 0.158) and “value marketing” (V = 0.167). Tree clas- sification analysis confirmed for all three dependent variables that the most influential factor was country. This work highlighted that people in different coun - tries and from different sociodemographic groups show different motivations for buying food products.
- 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.
- Consumer perception about edible insects’ relation with environment and sustainabilityPublication . Guiné, Raquel P. F.; Klava, D.; Straumite, E.; Kruma, Z.; Florença, S. G.; Anjos, O.; Djekic, I.; Chuck-Hernandez, C.; Matek Saric, M.; Bartkiene, E.; Boustani, N. M.; Papageorgiou, M.; Baro, J. M. F.; Korzeniowska, M.; Cernelic-Bizjak, M.; Tarcea, M.; Damarli, E.; Ferreira, V.The interest in adopting more sustainable diets can be a driver for consumers to engage the consumption of edible insects, even in countries where they are not culturally accepted as food. This work aimed to study the perceptions and knowledge of consumers in different countries towards edible insects and their relation with environment and sustainability. The present investigation was based on a questionnaire survey (11 questions) and this descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on a non-probabilistic sample of 7221 participants from 14 countries. The participants in the survey revealed high knowledge (over 50%) about the sustainability issues related with edible insects as food. The sociodemographic variables education, sex and age are influential, by decreasing order of importance. Regarding living environment, rural areas have the lowest percentage of informed participants. Comparing countries, statistically significant differences were observed for all questions, making this the most important predictor for information about sustainability of edible insects. This is expected, having in mind that cultural influences are highly variable among the set of countries included in the study, with a high number of European countries, but also with Latin American countries like Mexico or Brazil, or Middle East countries like Turkey or Lebanon.
- Consumers knowledge about dietary fibre : Results of a survey questionnaire in Hungary and RomaniaPublication . Szűcs, V.; Fazakas, Z.; Tarcea, M.; Guiné, RaquelDietary fi bres (DFs) are essential components of the balanced diet. Even though the adequate level of their consumption can be ensured from several natural (e.g. fruit, vegetables, legumes) and ‘artifi cial’ sources (e.g. functional foods), the consumed levels are below the recommendations. To analyse the Hungarian and Romanian consumers’ knowledge level, their perceptions of the health benefi ts associated with fi bre, as well as the recognition of the potential information sources, a survey questionnaire was conducted with the total of 713 consumers. Results showed that the level of knowledge about DFs was not adequate. Internet was found to be widely used and identifi ed as one of the most appropriate information sources to encourage the consumption of DF. It was a favourable result that three-quarter of the respondents was interested in the topic of healthy food consumption; however, just less than half of them took into consideration the label information during their shopping decisions. To increase the consumption of DF and to support the responsibility and conscious consumer decisions steps must to be done (e.g. education of children, pointing out of the sources). For this purpose, modern information technology and communication channels fi tting to the consumers’ cultural and personal particularities can be utilized.
- Demographic, Anthropometric and Food Behavior Data towards Healthy Eating in RomaniaPublication . Bacârea, A.; Bacârea, V. C.; Cînpeanu, C.; Teodorescu, C.; Seni, A. G.; Guiné, Raquel; Tarcea, M.Background: Each country has specific social, cultural, and economic characteristics re- garding the motivations for improving health. The aim of this study was to evaluate demographic characteristics, anthropometric data, and elements related to food behavior and health, as well as Romanians’ motivations towards healthy eating. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional ques- tionnaire based study enrolling 751 Romanian participants, which was carried out in in 2017–2018. Results: We obtained a positive correlation between age and Body Mass Index, and this was main- tained also when we analyzed the two genders separately, being, however, even stronger for women. The number of hours/day spent watching TV or in front of the computer was positively correlated with both age and BMI. In general, with aging, there is an increasing concern regarding the practice of a healthy diet. The higher education level was significantly associated with healthier choices. Conclusions: The study of the three dietary dimensions, food properties, health attitudes, and dietary behavior, vis-à-vis various disorders revealed that the group most concerned of their diet was those who suffered from cardiovascular disorders.
- Environmental Issues as Drivers for Food Choice: Study from a Multinational FrameworkPublication . Guiné, Raquel P. F.; Batkiene, E.; Florença, S. G.; Djekić, I.; Bizjak, M. C.; Tarcea, M.; Leal, M.; Ferreira, V.; Rumbak, I.; Orfanos, P.; Szucs, V.; Klava, D.; Korzeniowska, M.; Isoldi, K.; Correia, Paula; Ferreira, Manuela; Cardoso, Ana PaulaThis work intended to explore some motivations that influence people’s eating habits to- wards sustainability. This was an observational, cross-sectional study, carried out by questionnaire survey on a non-probabilistic sample of 10,067 participants from 13 countries (Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Romania and United States). Results indicated that people prefer fresh local foods from the season, being im- portant because it allows transportation and storage to be reduced, which in many cases implies refrigeration systems and consequent energy expenditure. Although people avoid food waste at home, the awareness for the waste at restaurants still needs to be improved. Consumers seem to prefer foods that have been produced and packed in sustainable ways but still give importance to the package—understandable for food products. The results also indicated significant differences in the food choice motivations between groups for all sociodemographic variables tested (age, sex, marital status, education, professional area, living environment and country), but the association was high only for variable country. Additionally, a tree classification analysis allowed to identify the relative importance of the influential variables on the sustainable food choices, with country being the most important, followed by age and sex. Additionally, discriminant function analysis allowed establishing a model for the relation between country and six variables accounting for preservation of biodiversity, respect for life, save natural resources, save energy, reduce industrial pollution and minimal packaging. Although with some limitations, this study brings valuable in- sight into some aspects linked with sustainable food choices on a number of countries and how people shape their food choices according to some sustainability issues.
- Estudo Internacional do nível de conhecimento sobre insetos comestíveisPublication . Guiné, Raquel P. F.; Florença, Sofia De Guiné E; Ferreira, Manuela; Costa, Cristina Amaro Da; Correia, Paula; Cardoso, Ana Paula; Campos, Sofia; Anjos, Ofélia; Chuck-Hernandez, C.; Saric, M.; Papageorgiou, M.; Baro, J.; Korzeniowska, M.; Bizjak, M.; Bartkiene, E.; Tarcea, M.; Boustani, N.; Djekić, I.; Klava, D.; Damarli, E.Resumo: Introdução – O consumo de insetos é uma prática tradicional ao longo da história humana, mas o seu consumo é muito variável de acordo com a região do globo. Objetivos – Pretendeu-se investigar o nível de conhecimento sobre insetos comestíveis numa amostra de participantes de treze países. Métodos – Os dados foram recolhidos em 2021 por questionário online. Obtiveram-se 6899 respostas válidas. Para a análise dos dados usou-se análise fatorial, análise de clusters e testes qui-quadrado. Resultados – Foram usados 27 itens para medir o conhecimento, utilizando uma escala do tipo Likert de cinco pontos. Aplicando análise fatorial obteve-se uma solução que explica 55% da variância total observada. Esta inclui 4 fatores que retiveram 22 dos 27 itens iniciais: F1 = Sustentabilidade (8 it); F2 = Nutrição (8 it); F3 = Fatores de Produção (2 it); F4 = Preocupações com a Saúde (4 it). A análise de clusters produziu três grupos de participantes (indivíduos 'receosos', 'agricultores' e 'ecológicos'). A caracterização dos clusters revelou que a idade não influenciou a inclusão nos clusters, enquanto sexo, escolaridade, país, meio onde reside, área profissional e rendimento influenciaram a composição dos clusters. Conclusões – O nível de conhecimento sobre insetos comestíveis é altamente variável de acordo com as características individuais e localização geográfica. Por outro lado, a segmentação permitiu identificar 3 tipos de indivíduos, 'receosos', 'agricultores' e 'ecológicos'.
- 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.
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