Browsing by Author "Tarcea, Monica"
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- An insight of Europeans’ knowledge about dietary fibers in relationship with obesityPublication . Tarcea, Monica; Nemes, L.; Rus, Victoria; Fazakas, Zita; Serban, Costela; Szucs, Viktoria; Guiné, RaquelObjectives: To estimate the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics of Romanian population, and their knowledge towards dietary fibre intake, the information sources preferred and perception of obesity related health risks. Methods: We used a convenient cross-sectional survey, and the data were collected using a validated questionnaire, disseminated online. Six different Romanian counties with 57 cities were selected in 2016, with 670 participants, and we used the SPSS program 22.0 for statistical purpose. The same questionnaire was applied in other 7 European countries, part of an international project design. Results: The knowledge about dietary fibres intake was low in Romanian sample, also was the ingestion of foods rich in fibre (fruits, vegetables and cereals). Compared to men, women agree significantly more frequent that fibres in appropriate amounts can prevent or treat diseases (U=44607, z=-4.66, p<0.001, r=0.18) and separately related to specific diseases, that fibres can prevent and/or treat cardio-vascular diseases, cholesterol, bowel cancer, breast cancer, constipation, and diabetes, but with no differences regarding the deficiency of vitamins and minerals (p=0.774) or obesity (p=0.399). Regarding the differences observed by countries, the highest fruit consumption was found for Portugal (11.7 portions per week), while the lowest was for Hungary (7.4) and Latvia (7.1). Turkey that had the highest interest for food labelling (4.0 points), contrarily to Macedonia (3.0) with the lowest value, and Hungary with 3.6 points. The indepth analysis of factors that are able to influence European’s knowledge and attitudes towards food fibres, defined the social profile of the respondents with interest on dietary fibre intake, which is: young females, with at least high school education, that considers internet and television like main sources of information regarding fibres. Conclusions: Based on our results, we can elaborate efficient community and school intervention programs, more focused on modern information technology and communication skills, fit to the consumer’s profile in order to promote a healthy nutrition behavior and proper knowledge.
- An insight of Romanians’ knowledge about dietary fibers in relationship with cancerPublication . Tarcea, Monica; Fazakas, Zita; Ruta, Florina; Rus, Victoria; Salcudean, M.; Nemes, L.; Serban, Costela; Guiné, RaquelObjectives: To estimate the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics of Romanian population, and their knowledge towards dietary fiber intake, the information sources preferred and perception of cancer related health risks. Methods: We used a convenient cross-sectional survey, and the data were collected using a validated questionnaire, disseminated online. Six different Romanian counties with 57 cities were selected in 2015, with 670 participants, and we used the SPSS program 22.0 for statistical purpose. Results: The knowledge about dietary fibers intake was low in our sample, also was the ingestion of foods rich in fiber (fruits, vegetables and cereals). Compared to men, women agree significantly more frequent that fibers in appropriate amounts can prevent or treat diseases (U=44607, z=-4.66, p<0.001, r=0.18) and separately related to specific diseases, that fibers can prevent and/or treat cardio-vascular diseases, cholesterol, bowel cancer, breast cancer, constipation, and diabetes, but with no differences regarding the deficiency of vitamins and minerals (p=0.774) or obesity (p=0.399). The in-depth analysis of factors that are able to influence Romanian’s knowledge and attitudes towards food fibers, defined the social profile of the respondents with interest on dietary fiber intake, which is: young females, with at least high school education, that considers internet and television like main sources of information regarding fibers. Comparing to other EU countries, Romanian consumers have good information about dietary fibers importance for health but the daily intake is lower. Conclusions: Based on our results, we can elaborate efficient community and school intervention programs, more focused on modern information technology and communication skills, fit to the consumer’s profile in order to promote a healthy nutrition behavior and proper knowledge.
- Are Consumers Aware of Sustainability Aspects Related to Edible Insects? Results from a Study Involving 14 CountriesPublication . Guiné, Raquel P. F.; Florença, Sofia De Guiné E; Anjos, Ofélia; Boustani, Nada M.; Chuck-Hernández, Cristina; Sarić, Marijana Matek; Ferreira, Manuela; Costa, Cristina Amaro Da; Bartkiene, Elena; Cardoso, Ana Paula; Tarcea, Monica; Correia, Paula; Campos, Sofia; Papageorgiou, Maria; Camino, Daniel Abarquero; Korzeniowska, Malgorzata; Černelič-Bizjak, Maša; Kruma, Zanda; Damarli, Emel; Ferreira, Vanessa; Djekic, IlijaIn recent years, edible insects have been suggested as an alternative food that is more sustainable compared with other sources of animal protein. However, knowledge about the sustainability aspects associated with this source of food may play a role in convincing consumers to adopt insects as part of their diet. In this context, the present study investigated the level of knowledge about the sustainability of edible insects in a group of people originating from 14 countries, with some naturally entomophagous and others not. To measure the knowledge, 11 items were selected and the scores obtained were tested with statistical tools (t-test for independent samples, analysis of variance—ANOVA) to search for differences according to sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics, geographical origin, and consumption habits of edible insects. The obtained results showed that, in general, knowledge is moderate, with the values of the average scores for the 11 items investigated ranging from 0.23 ± 0.99 to 0.66 ± 1.02, on a scale ranging from –2 (=very low knowledge) to 2 (=very high knowledge). The highest scores were found for items relating to the lower use of animal feed and lower emission of greenhouse gases required for the production of insects compared with beef. When investigating the differences between groups of participants, significant differences were generally found, revealing a trend for higher knowledge among males and young adults, for participants residing in urban areas and in countries such as Spain, Mexico, and Poland, and for participants with higher education levels and higher incomes. When testing the influence of consumption variables on the level of knowledge, the results showed a higher knowledge for participants who had already consumed insects or are willing to consume them. Finally, it was observed that higher knowledge was found for participants whose motivation to consume insects related to curiosity, a wish to preserve the planet, the gastronomic characteristics of insects, and their nutritional value. In conclusion, these results clearly indicate a very marked influence of a number of variables on the knowledge about the sustainability of edible insects, and this may be helpful to delineate strategies to effectively raise knowledge and eventually increase the willingness to consider insects as a more sustainable alternative to partially replace other protein foods, even in countries where this is a not a traditional practice.
- Az orvostanhallgatók élelmiszerválasztási motivációinak felmérésePublication . Fazakas, Zita; Szűcs, Victoria; Tarcea, Monica; Nemes-Nagy, Enikő; Guiné, RaquelBevezetés: A táplálkozás ma már nem kizárólag a fizikai létfenntartás eszköze, számos motiváció, érzelmi tartalom kötődik hozzá. Az egyetemi hallgatók étkezési motivációi fiziológiai és az érzelmi igények sok változójától függ, valamint jelentős hatást gyakorolnak az általános egészségi állapotukra, megakadályozzák vagy éppen ellenkezőleg növelik azt. A kutatás célja: A romániai orvostanhallgatók élelmiszer-választását befolyásoló tényezők vizsgálata. Jelen kutatásunk a portugál Viseu Műszaki Intézet CI & DETS Kutatóközpontjának projektének részét képezi. Anyagok és módszerek: A kérdőívet a diákok fogyasztói motivációjának alapkutatásaként használtuk fel, amelyet 130 orvostanhallgató (64,5% nő és 35,5% férfi) töltött ki a Marosvásárhelyi Orvostudományi és Gyógyszerészeti Egyetemen. Az adatok bevitele és statisztikai feldolgozása az alapozó kutatások során IBM SPSS statisztikai programcsomag Statistics 24 segítségével történt. A kvantitatív kutatások eredményeinek feldolgozása során a leíró statisztikák mellett kétváltozós összefüggés-vizsgálatokat végeztünk, Chi-négyzet-próba, Skewness és Kurtosis értékek segítségével. Eredmények: A kérdőív eredményei azt mutatják, hogy a megkérdezettek 75% -át nagyon aggasztja az élelmiszer higiéniája és biztonsága (p <0,001). A megkérdezettek 83,5% -át motiválja az egészséges és kiegyensúlyozott étrend; 99,1% -nak fontos, hogy a napi étrendje sok vitamint és ásványi anyagot tartalmazzon (Kurtosis 3,643 ± 0,265). Az érzelmekkel kapcsolatos tényezők esetében - a válaszadók 93,5% -a számára az élelmiszer érzelmi vigaszt nyújt. Következtetés: Az orvostanhallgatók élelmiszer-választási motivációja az egészséges táplálkozás elérésére irányul, amelynek érdekében összpontosítaniuk kell az étrendi önkontrollra és az önszabályozásra.
- Benefits of dietary fibre for human health and eating habits in different countriesPublication . Leal, Marcela; Guiné, Raquel; Tarcea, Monica; Fazakas, Zita; Vittadinni, Elena; Klava, Dace; El-Kenawy, AymanBackground and Objectives: Because DF has unequivocally demonstrated many benefits for the human health, its consumption should be encouraged. In this way, this research aimed at identifying the eating habits regarding fibre rich foods and assessing the knowledge about the effects of DF as enhancers of human wellbeing. The study was undertaken simultaneously in five countries situated in different parts of the globe, namely South America (Argentina), Africa (Egypt), South Europe (Italy), Central Europe (Romania) and North Europe (Latvia). Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on a non-probabilistic sample of 2290 participants from 5 countries. The data collection was made by a questionnaires translated into the native languages in all participating countries. Results: The consumption of vegetables and salads was higher for Argentina and lower for Egypt while fruits are more consumed in Italy and less in Latvia. Whole grains are more consumed in Latvia and Romania and less in Argentina and Italy. The knowledge about the benefits of DF for cardiovascular diseases and cholesterol is higher in Argentina, for bowel cancer and diabetes in Romania and for obesity and constipation in Latvia. Still, an important number of participants do not have opinions about the different health benefits of DF. Conclusions: In general, the participants showed a moderate consumption of vegetables and fruits but low in whole cereals. The level of knowledge about the effects of DF on human health is still far from desirable levels, and differs considerably from country to country.
- 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.
- Cultural dimensions associated with food choice: A survey based multi-country studyPublication . Djekic, Ilija; Bartkiene, Elena; Szűcs, Viktória; Tarcea, Monica; Klarin, Ivo; Černelić-Bizjak, Maša; Isoldi, Kathy; EL-Kenawy, Ayman; Ferreira, Vanessa; Klava, Dace; Korzeniowska, Małgorzata; Vittadini, Elena; Leal, Marcela; Frez-Muñoz, Lucia; Papageorgiou, Maria; Guiné, RaquelThe aim of this research was to analyze motivations behind food choices from a cross-cultural perspective. It presents results derived from a multi-country study associated with Hofstede's cultural dimensions. A total of 11,919 respondents from 16 countries took part in this research. Two groups of statements were included in the survey: ‘economic & availability motivations' and ‘social & cultural motivations'. Six Hofstede's cultural dimensions covered: Power Distance Index, Individualism–Collectivism Index, Masculinity–Femininity Index, Uncertainty Avoidance Index, Term Orientation Index and Indulgence Restraint Index. This study confirmed that different cultural aspects have influence on food choice. A cluster analysis revealed two clusters as follows: ‘attitudinal’ cluster comprising of 11 countries (57.7% % of the total sample) opposed to the ‘ambivalent’ cluster (47.3%) consisting of the remaining five countries. The results confirm a correlation between Hofstede's dimensions, specifically with individualistic, feminine and tolerant societies. Obtained results may be of interest for different food and gastronomy stakeholders shifting their food policies from a local to a cross-cultural perspective.
- Determinants of economic motivations for food choice: insights for the understanding of consumer behaviourPublication . Martinho, Vítor; Bartkiene, Elena; Djekic, Ilija; Tarcea, Monica; Barić, Irena Colić; Černelič-Bizjak, Maša; Szűcs, Viktória; Sarcona, Alessandra; El-Kenawy, Ayman; Ferreira, Vanessa; Klava, Dace; Korzeniowska, Małgorzata; Vittadini, Elena; Leal, Marcela; Bolhuis, Dieuwerke; Papageorgiou, Maria; Guiné, Raquel P. F.Food consumption involves several dimensions, being some of them directly associated with the consumers’ characteristics. The interrelationships between these domains impact consumer behaviour for food choice and the consequent decisions for food consumption. In these frameworks, economic motivations are determinant. On the other hand, the scientific literature highlights that the economic-based stimuli to choose food is still underexplored. In this perspective, the objective of this study was to assess the main sociodemographic and anthropometric determinants of the economic motivations for food choice. For that, a questionnaire survey was carried out involving 11,919 respondents from 16 countries. A validated questionnaire was used, translated into the native languages in all participating countries, using a back-translation process. First, the information obtained was assessed through factor analysis to reduce the number of variables associated with the economic motivations and to identify indexes. After, and considering the indexes obtained as dependent variables, a classification and regression tree analysis was performed. As main insights, it is highlighted that the main determinants of the economic motivations are country of residence, age, gender, civil state, professional activity, educational level, living environment, responsibility for buying food, weight, height, body mass index, healthy diets and physical exercise practices. Additionally, the results also reveal that economic motivations may be associated with two indexes, one related to convenience attitudes and the other to quality concerns. Finally, the younger persons and the women are the social groups more concerned with healthy diets and food quality. In conclusion, this work confirmed that food choice is to a high extent influenced by several sociodemographic and behavioural factors.
- Edible insects: A survey about perceptions regarding possible beneficial health effects and safety concerns among adult citizens from Portugal and RomaniaPublication . Guiné, Raquel; Florença, Sofia De Guiné E; Costa, Cristina Amaro Da; Correia, Paula; Ferreira, Manuela; Cardoso, Ana Paula; Campos, Sofia; Anjos, Ofélia; Bacarea, Vladimir; Bacarea, Anca; Buicu, Gabriela; Szasz, Simona; Martin-Hadmaș, Roxana; Tarcea, MonicaAlthough edible insects (EI) have been consumed for ages in many countries around the world, in most European countries, this is not a traditional practice. Still, it has been encouraged as a sustainable source of animal protein besides other nutrients. The Food and Agricultural Organization and the United Nations, recommend consuming EI as a way to contribute to the sustainable development goals. Hence, this research investigated how participants from Portugal and Romania perceive EI, and how these can be useful as a source of nutrients and other benefits for human health, as well as possible risks. For that, it was undertaken a questionnaire survey, with data collected online in the two countries. For the analysis of data, basis statistics and chi-square tests were used. Results showed significant differences between Portuguese and Romanian participants in six out of ten questions, namely regarding safety (p < 0.001), use in traditional medicine (p < 0.001), possible infection with parasites (p = 0.021), of pesticides (p = 0.031), their usage as therapeutics (p = 0.001) and being potential sources of allergens (p < 0.001) and aflatoxins (p < 0.001). Also, differences were tested for other sociodemographic variables. The results showed significant differences according to age for only three questions, gender for only two questions, and Education for most of the questions, i.e., six out of the ten. These results highlighted the greater influence of variables like country of origin and education in the perception of the effects of EI in human health.
- Edible Insects: Consumption, Perceptions, Culture and Tradition Among Adult Citizens from 14 CountriesPublication . Guiné, Raquel; Florença, Sofia De Guiné E; Costa, Cristina Amaro Da; Correia, Paula; Cruz-Lopes, Luísa; Esteves, Bruno; Ferreira, Manuela; Fragata, Anabela; Cardoso, Ana Paula; Campos, Sofia; Anjos, Ofélia; Boustani, Nada M.; Bartkiene, Elena; Chuck-Hernández, Cristina; Djekic, Ilija; Tarcea, Monica; Sarić, Marijana Matek; Kruma, Zanda; Korzeniowska, Malgorzata; Papageorgiou, Maria; Árias, Leticia González; Černelič-Bizjak, Maša; Damarli, Emel; Ferreira, Vanessa; Bayraktaroğlu, Emre; Arpa, Fatmanur OzyurekAlthough edible insects (EIs) are encouraged as a sustainable source of protein, their consumption is not as generalised as other types of food that are internationally accepted. While in some regions of the world, EIs are part of the gastronomic and cultural traditions, in other regions, people are not so receptive to this type of food, and some people even express some disgust towards it. Hence, this research focused on the habits of the participants regarding the consumption of insects as well as their perceptions about EIs being or not a part of the local culture or gastronomic patrimony. A questionnaire survey was implemented in fourteen countries (Brazil, Croatia, Greece, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkey), and globally, 7222 adult participants responded to the questionnaire. SPSS software (version 28) was used to process the data and carry out chi-square tests and Factor Analyses (FA). The obtained results showed significant differences between countries for all the questions included in the survey, either those regarding the habits of the participants or their opinions about the facts linked with EI tradition or cultural aspects. It was found that participants from Mexico consume EIs more than in all other countries and that strong motivations that would lead to consumption among those who do not consume include curiosity and food shortage. The solution obtained with FA considering the ten statements of the scale consisted of two factors: F1—Culture and Tradition of EIs (α = 0.675) and F2—Acceptance of EIs (α = 0.614). In conclusion, the consumption of EIs and the perceptions of people are highly variable according to geographic location and cultural environment.