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- Milk: A Nutritive and Healthy Food? Consumer Perspective from French and Portuguese ParticipantsPublication . Bréjon, Marius; Florença, Sofia De Guiné E; C. Goncalves, J.; Barroca, Maria João; Guiné, RaquelMilk from different animals is a staple food consumed since immemorial times all over the world. However, there is a lack of knowledge in the scientific literature about knowledge related to milk and its effects on nutrition and health. The objective of this study was to investigate consumers’ knowledge about milk, its composition, and its effects on human health in two different countries. The study was conducted through a questionnaire survey in Portugal and France and involved 542 participants of whom 332 were French and 210 were Portuguese. For data analysis, we used basic statistics, parametric tests, tree classification, and factor analysis. The results showed that some sociodemographic variables significantly influenced the level of knowledge, namely country (p < 0.001), age (p = 0.029), and the dimension of the household (p < 0.001). Nevertheless, tree classification analyses revealed that other variables such as education, occupation, and body mass index showed some discriminating ability. Factor analysis retained 20 items of the 23 initially tested. The solution contained five factors, two of which had very good internal consistency (alpha values of 0.825 and 0.803). The mean scores for knowledge in practically all factors were consistently higher for the Portuguese as compared with the French sample. In conclusion, the level of knowledge about milk composition and its health effects differs according to several sociodemographic variables, particularly in what constitutes country differences.
- Consumption of fruits and vegetables in two European countries: Results from a survey in France and PortugaPublication . Guiné, Raquel; Florença, Sofia De Guiné E; Teixeira-Lemos, Edite; Lima, M. J. Reis; C. Goncalves, J.Presently, there is a huge burden on public health due to a very high incidence of chronic diseases like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity, among others. The modern lifestyle, with inadequate diets and insufficient physical activity, is one of the most important factors contributing to this situation. Therefore, a healthy diet can have a very positive impact on global population health. Fruits and vegetables are staple foods with a typically low caloric value that still contribute to an adequate ingestion of the necessary macro and micronutrients and bioactive compounds, with a beneficial effect on health. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge about the consumption of fruits and vegetables in two countries, Portugal and France. A questionnaire survey was carried out on a sample of 639 adult participants (382 French and 257 Portuguese). The results revealed significant differences in knowledge between countries, sexes, level of education, body mass index, satisfaction with body weight, reasons for dissatisfaction with weight, and having a chronic disease. The most influential sociodemographic variable was the country, while the most influential behavioral variable was practicing a varied diet. Factor analysis identified two factors, one accounting for items in the scale that were true, and the other accounting for false items; both factors had acceptable internal consistency. Finally, cluster analysis showed three clusters of participants: The first included individuals with high knowledge of both factors, the second included individuals with low or very low knowledge, and the third cluster included individuals with partial knowledge, who only knew about true items. These results are relevant for planning educational measures aimed at improving knowledge and thus helping to promote healthier diets.