Food Consumption In Women Research Articles

Is the Behavioural Gender Gap Decreasing? Evidence from Food Consumption in Swiss Single-Person Households.

While Switzerland has made some progress over the past few decades in treating men and women more equally, this study intends to find out whether Swiss men and women's food consumption patterns also converged between 1990 and 2017. After analysing 1.8 million observations of one-member households' food baskets, we found that gender gaps are increasing significantly for 16 of 70 studied foods, decreasing significantly for another 16 of 70 studied foods and not changing significantly for more than half of the studied foods. On average, the gender gap in food consumption in Switzerland has increased over time. We conclude that behavioural differences between genders and culturally induced gender differences (e.g., unequal career chances) are largely unrelated.

Food consumption of women during holidays: fit, healthy, or relaxed?

During holidays, what, why, and how do women consume? Women’s attitudes and thoughts about food consumption should be researched in terms of their social roles. However, the important role of women in holiday planning process makes women's food consumption preferences and also behaviours an important data source especially for tourism managers. This study focused on the impact of holidays on women’s food consumption. For this purpose, face-to-face interviews were carried out with 15 women participants, who spent two holiday periods during the previous year – summer and winter – in Adıyaman, Turkey. According to the results of the survey, women’s food consumption preferences and behaviours change during the summer and winter holiday periods.

Food insecurity and low access to high-quality food for preconception women in Nepal: the importance of household relationships.

Women in South Asia, including Nepal, have some of the poorest nutritional indicators globally, leading to poor maternal and child health outcomes. Nepal also suffers from high levels of household food insecurity, and newly married women are at high risk. Intra-household relationships may mediate the relationship between food insecurity and women's nutrition in Nepal for newly married women. Our aim is to understand how newly married, preconception, women's food consumption changes when she enters her husband's home, compared with her natal home. We also explore whether relationship quality with husbands and mothers-in-law mediates the association between food insecurity and eating less high-quality food, using structural equation modelling. Cross-sectional survey data. Rural Nepal in 2018. Data were collected from 200 newly married, preconception women. Women had poor diet quality, and most ate fewer high-quality foods important for pregnancy in their marital, compared with natal, home. Higher quality relationships with mothers-in-laws mediated the association between food insecurity and a woman eating fewer high-quality foods in her marital, compared with natal, home. Relationship quality with husbands was not associated with changes in food consumption. Preconception, newly married women in Nepal are eating less high-quality foods important for women's health during the preconception period - a key period for avoiding adverse maternal and infant health outcomes. Relationships with mothers-in-law are key to women's access to high-quality food, suggesting that interventions aiming to improve maternal and child nutrition should target all household members.

Consumption of black food decreases the risk of abdominal obesity in Korean women.

The association between black-colored foods (black foods) such as black beans, known for their high antioxidant capacity, and the prevention of metabolic diseases has been explored, but not in a large population. Therefore, this study examined relationships between the consumption of black foods and metabolic syndrome in Korean adults. Data from 9,499 40-65-year old subjects (3,675 men and 5,824 women) from the 2010-2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used in the analysis. Black food consumption was estimated using 24-h dietary recall data, and analyses were performed according to black food consumer and non-consumer groups. The average total consumption of black foods was higher in women than men. The total black food consumer group in women had a 24% reduced risk of abdominal obesity than the non-consumer group (p=0.007). Furthermore, waist circumference decreased significantly with an increase in total black food consumption in women. High consumption of total black foods and black beans reduced the risk of abdominal obesity by 26% (p for trend=0.012) and 29% (p for trend=0.003) compared with no consumption. No risk factors for metabolic syndrome were associated with black food consumption in men. In conclusion, black foods, including black beans, may have beneficial effects on metabolic syndrome components, especially abdominal obesity.

Driving Policy Change to Improve Micronutrient Status in Women of Reproductive Age and Children in Southeast Asia: The SMILING Project.

Objective The SMILING (Sustainable Micronutrient Interventions to Control Deficiencies and Improve Nutritional Status and General Health in Asia) project aimed at creating awareness and improving policies around micronutrient deficiencies in five Southeast Asian countries (Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia). Results The project showed large gaps in recent data on micronutrient status in most of the five countries. By updating existing, or creating national food composition tables, the SMILING project enabled analyses of food consumption in women of reproductive age and young children. Linear programming showed a high risk for multiple micronutrient deficiencies in these groups, and especially in pregnant women. Most programs to improve micronutrient status target iodine, iron and vitamin A deficiency. However, the high prevalence of zinc, vitamin D, thiamine and folate deficiency in the region warrant interventions too. For certain micronutrients (zinc, iron, calcium), dietary changes alone appeared not enough to fulfill requirements. Food fortification was identified to be a sustainable, long-term solution to improve micronutrient intake. Multiple criteria mapping by stakeholders in each country resulted in a list of country-specific priority interventions. Surprisingly, food fortification was ranked low, due to concerns on quality control and organoleptic changes of the fortified food. More advocacy is needed for new, innovative interventions such as delayed cord clamping. Conclusions for practice The SMILING project recommends regular surveys to monitor micronutrient status of population, to measure impact of interventions and to guide nutrition policies.

The association of conformity to feminine norms with women's food consumption after a negative mood induction

The current study examined the relation between women's food intake and their conformity to feminine norms after a negative mood induction, as well as the potential moderating role of expressive suppression. Female participants (N = 197) watched a sad movie clip, partook in a taste test in which they consumed potato chips and chocolate, and completed a survey with questions designed to assess conformity to feminine norms and the use of expressive suppression in daily life. Regression analyses revealed that increased conformity to the feminine norm of modesty was associated with reduced food intake, whereas conformity to the feminine norms of thinness and appearance were not. Expressive suppression did not moderate any of these relations. Overall, this study affirms the importance of understanding how overarching cultural norms such as femininity influence women's food consumption.

The psychosocial experience of feeling overweight promotes increased snack food consumption in women but not men

Self-identification of being overweight has been associated with overeating and weight gain in observational studies, irrespective of whether the individual in question is objectively overweight. The aims of the present studies were to examine whether experimentally manipulating the psychosocial experience of feeling overweight impacted on snack food consumption and to identify mechanisms explaining this effect. In Study 1, to manipulate the psychosocial experience of feeling overweight, 120 women wore an obese body suit or control clothing in public or private settings, before consuming snack foods. Wearing the obese body suit resulted in an increase in snack food consumption and this effect was not moderated by whether participants wore the obese body suit in public or in private. In Study 2, we aimed to replicate the effect of the obese body suit on snack food consumption and also examined whether the effect of the body suit on eating behaviour was moderated by participant sex (n = 150; 80 women). Women who wore the obese body suit ate significantly more than women who wore the control clothing, but this effect was not observed in men. Across both studies we examined a number of potential mechanisms that could explain the effect that wearing the obese body suit had on snack food consumption, but did not find supporting evidence. The psychosocial experience of feeling overweight may lead to increased snack food consumption in women, but the psychological mechanism explaining this effect is unclear.

Food as a way to convey masculinities: How conformity to hegemonic masculinity norms influences men's and women's food consumption.

This study investigated how conformity to hegemonic masculinity norms affects men's and women's food consumption and whether such influence was contextually modulated. A total of 519 individuals (65% women; M = 44 years old) participated in a 2 (gender salience: low vs high) × 2 (participants' sex: male vs female) quasi-experimental between-subjects design, completing the Conformity to Masculinity Norms Inventory (Portuguese version) and reporting their past week's food consumption. Gender salience moderated the relation between men's conformity to masculinity norms and food consumption; sex-related differences in food consumption were partially mediated by conformity to masculinity norms. Implications for food consumption interventions are discussed.

Pre-Pregnancy Fast Food Consumption Is Associated with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus among Tehranian Women.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between fast food consumption and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) among Tehranian women. This study was conducted over a 17-month period, on a random sample of pregnant women (n = 1026), aged 18–45 years, attending prenatal clinics in five hospitals affiliated with universities of medical sciences, located in different districts of Tehran, Iran. Dietary data were collected during gestational age ≤6 weeks, using a 168-item valid and reliable food frequency questionnaire. Consumption of total fast foods including hamburgers, sausages, bologna (beef), pizza and French fries was calculated. Between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation, all pregnant women underwent a scheduled 100 g 3 h oral glucose tolerance test. GDM was defined according to the American Diabetes Association definition. The mean age and pre-pregnancy body mass index BMI of participants were 26.7 ± 4.3 years and 25.4 ± 4.5 Kg/m2, respectively. A total of 71 women developed GDM. After adjustment for confounders, the OR (95% CI) for GDM for total fast food consumption was 2.12 (1.12–5.43) and for French fries it was 2.18 (1.05–4.70). No significant association was found between hamburgers, sausages, bologna (beef), pizza and GDM. Fast food consumption in women of reproductive age was found to have undesirable effects in the prevalence of GDM.

Episodic Frequency of Energy-Dense Food Consumption in Women with Excessive Adiposity.

Each episode of fatty or sugary food consumption contributes to the pathophysiological alterations found in obesity. The present study estimated episodic frequency of energy-dense food (EDF) consumption in 348 adult women with excessive adiposity. Participants reported in open questions their habitual exercise and EDF consumption per week. Body fat percentage was measured using electric impedance analysis. Variations in EDF consumption by age, fat mass, and exercise levels were examined by factorial analysis of variance. The frequency of consumption of EDF was on average 12 times per week and it did not vary significantly across subgroups. It is argued that, to reduce obesity and its comorbidities, lowering a high episodic frequency of EDF consumption could be recommended in clinical settings.

高齢女性の食料品アクセスが食生活と健康におよぼす影響の分析

In this study, we examined the effect of food access on elderly women's food consumption and health by analyzing the results of mail surveys in Shirakawa city, Fukushima, Japan, where the city center has been hollowed out.We compared the local mail surveys conducted in 2010 and 2015, before and after the 2011 opening of a supermarket. We focused on elderly women, because among this demographic, indicators such as rate of walking to the store and frequency of food shopping has increased significantly in this period. Most of the analyses were based on data from female residents aged over 65 years in the 2015 survey (n＝215).The results are as follows: First, we compared the frequency of shopping and dietary (i.e., the dietary variety score (DVS)) and health indicators (i.e., waist circumference and activities of daily living) between the south district, where the distance to supermarket is over 500m, and another area where it is within 500m. The DVS was lower in the south district. However, there were not significant differences among health indicators. Second, we compared the dietary and health indicators across three groups, divided by the frequency of food shopping: more than 7 times per week, 2-6 times, or 1 or less than 1 shopping trip per week. Compared to a reference value, women's waist circumferences were smaller in the more-frequent shopping group. Third, structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that walking to the store was positively associated with the frequency of shopping trips, which was positively associated with higher DVS and inversely associated with women's waist circumference.

Nutritional Correlates of Women with a History of Gestational Diabetes and Insulin Resistance in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2000-2010

Objective: To evaluate the associations of gestational diabetes (GDM) history with dietary intake, nutritional status, insulin resistance, demographic, and anthropometrical data. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for the years 2000-2010. Data analysis was based on 290 women who reported a history of GDM compared to 4239 women who denied a GDM history. Insulin resistance [HOMA_IR = (fasting insulin in mU/mL × fasting glucose in mmol/L)/405] was calculated. Pearson correlation, Wilcoxon rank sum tests, Student’s t-tests, and chi-square analysis were used while linear regression assessed independent associations. Results: The median time-lapse from the diagnosis of GDM was 15 years. Women with a GDM history had significantly higher body mass index (BMI), other anthropometric measurements, diastolic blood pressures and insulin resistance. They were also more likely to be Hispanic, have delivered macrosomic infants, and delivered via cesarean. Previous GDM history compared to non-GDM subjects had significantly higher dietary intakes of energy calories, protein, total fat, saturated fatty acids, mono-saturated fatty acids, and cholesterol. Within the entire cohort, increasing insulin resistance was also associated with lower income, less college education, Hispanic or African American ethnicity, obesity, higher systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and with higher dietary cholesterol but lower intake of dietary fiber and micronutrients. Regression analyses showed that GDM history, Hispanic ethnicity, BMI, dietary intake of cholesterol and decreasing income were independently predictive of insulin resistance. Conclusion: The data confirm that even many years after a pregnancy associated with GDM, women with a history of GDM still report significantly higher dietary intakes of energy calories, protein, and fat with no corresponding increase in consumption of dietary fiber or minerals and vitamins. Consequently, the increased calorie and food consumption of women with previous GDM are associated with obesity, insulin resistance and higher blood pressures. These observations may suggest the need to target high-risk groups who may need more resources and awareness of the benefits of quality nutrition.

Breastfeeding, pregnant, and non-breastfeeding nor pregnant women's food consumption: A matched within-household analysis in India

ObjectivePromoting breastfeeding is major maternal and child health goal in India. It is unclear whether mothers receive additional food needed to support healthy breastfeeding. MethodsUsing the latest National Family and Health Survey (2005–2006), we applied multilevel linear regression models to document correlates of nutrition for (n = 20,764) breastfeeding women. We then compared consumption of pulses, eggs, meat, fish, dairy, fruit, and vegetables across a sample of breastfeeding, non-breastfeeding/pregnant (NBP), and pregnant women (n = 3,409) matched within households and five-year age bands. We tested whether breastfeeding women had greater advantages in the 18 high-focus states of India's National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). ResultsVegetarianism, caste, and religion were the strongest predictors of breastfeeding women's nutrition. Breastfeeding women had no nutritional advantage compared to NBP women, and were disadvantaged in their consumption of milk (b = −0.14) in low-focus states. Pregnant women were similarly disadvantaged in their consumption of milk in low-focus states (b = −0.32), but consumed vegetables more frequently (b = 0.12) than NBP women in high-focus states. ConclusionsBreastfeeding women do not receive nutritional advantages compared to NBP women. Targeted effort is needed to assess and improve nutritional adequacy for breastfeeding Indian women.

Iron and Zinc Status are Not Affected by Soy Food Consumption in Women of Childbearing Age

Many health benefits are attributed to soy food intake, but research on mineral balance is limited. Our hypothesis was that consumption of soy foods for 10‐wk would not affect iron or zinc status in women of childbearing age. Women (18‐28 y) non‐smokers without chronic disease, anemia, pregnancy, and/or irregular menstrual cycles were randomly assigned to either a soy foods (n=31) or control (n=32) group. Blood and 3‐day dietary records were collected prior to and after intervention. At baseline, there were no significant differences between the soy food and animal product groups in dietary intake or iron and zinc status. No significant changes were observed in serum ferritin, transferrin receptor, and hemoglobin concentrations between groups. Although serum iron (‐4.8 µg/dl) and body iron (‐0.53 mg/kg) declined in the soy group after intervention, the change was not significant either between the two groups or from baseline. Intervention also resulted in no change in zinc status as reflected by serum (7 µg/dL decrease in both groups) and urinary zinc in the soy compared with control group (17 vs ‐9 µg/g creatinine). Our results showed that incorporating 2 servings/day of soy foods containing about 20 g protein for 10‐wk had no detrimental effect on iron status or zinc status in women at‐risk for these mineral deficiencies.

Correlates of Soy Food Consumption in Women at Increased Risk for Breast Cancer

Objectives The objectives of the present study were to examine sociodemographic correlates of soy food consumption among women at increased risk of breast cancer, describe factors influencing soy food consumption or nonconsumption, and identify women’s sources of information about soy foods. Design A cross-sectional, self-report survey was used to assess frequency of and factors influencing soy food consumption. Soy food intake was reported for the past year. Subjects/Setting Participants were 452 women with family histories of breast cancer who were enrolled in a cancer risk assessment program. Statistical Analyses Performed Comparisons between consumers and nonconsumers of soy foods were performed using multivariate logistic regression and χ 2 analyses. Results Thirty-two percent reported soy food consumption. Commonly consumed soy foods were vegetable burgers, tofu, and soymilk. Consumers of soy foods were more likely to have higher levels of education and report eating five or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables. The primary reason for consumption of soy foods was eating a healthful diet, whereas insufficient knowledge about soy food preparation was the primary reason stated for nonconsumption. Both consumers and nonconsumers reported obtaining information about soy foods from magazines, friends, and newspapers. Consumers also indicated using the Internet to seek information. Conclusions These findings contribute to our understanding of the level of soy intake among women at increased risk for breast cancer and highlight potential factors that may influence women’s decisions regarding soy food consumption. Women, particularly in this vulnerable population, would benefit from clear messages regarding the health effects of soy.

Use of variety/diversity scores for diet quality measurement: relation with nutritional status of women in a rural area in Burkina Faso

To develop scores for food variety and diversity to assess the overall dietary quality in an African rural area; and to study their relationship with the nutritional status of women of childbearing age. Cross-sectional. Sahelian rural area in the North-East Burkina Faso (West Africa). A total of 691 mothers with children below the age of 5 y, selected at random in 30 villages. A qualitative recall of women's food consumption during the previous 24 h made it possible to calculate a food variety score (FVS = count of food items consumed) and a dietary diversity score (DDS = count of food groups, among 14 groups). These scores were then divided into terciles. Body mass index (BMI), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and body fat percentage (BFP) were used to determine the women's nutritional status. The overall dietary quality was poor: mean FVS (s.d.) = 8.3 (2.9) food items; mean DDS = 5.1 (1.7) food groups. A clear relationship was shown between both FVS and DDS (in terciles) and most nutritional indices. Women with a FVS in the lowest tercile had a mean BMI of 20.1, while those in the highest tercile had a BMI of 20.9 (P = 0.009). Those in the lowest tercile of DDS had a 22.8% prevalence of underweight vs 9.8% in the highest tercile (P < 0.0001). The latter relationship remained significant even when the subjects' sociodemographic and economic characteristics were accounted for. Dietary scores measured at the individual level are good proxies for overall dietary quality of women living in a poor rural African area. These scores were also shown to be linked with the nutritional status of women. IRD financed the study with the assistance of UNICEF for the purchase of anthropometric equipment. The first author received a research allowance from the French Ministry of Research through the doctoral school 393 of Pierre and Marie Curie University (Paris VI).

“ No somos iguales”: The effect of household economic standing on women's energy intake in the Andes

This article examines the relationship between women's food consumption and household economic standing in a small farming community in the southern Peruvian Andes. It is motivated by villagers’ comments—“ no somos iguales”—about economic inequality within the community and explores the nutritional consequences of this disparity. Analyses of energy intake, measured seasonally by the food-weighing technique, show that women in poorer households experience energy deprivation during the pre-harvest season but better-off women do not. During the rest of the year, women in both economic groups have statistically similar intakes of energy. Energy deprivation among poorer women is associated with a lack of money to purchase adequate amounts of commercial foods when the supply of local foods dwindles. The analyses indicate that in this agricultural community, being “cash poor” is a more sensitive predictor of nutritional risk among women than are landholdings. Despite the veneer of widespread poverty, this study supports villager views that households are not equal and contributes to our understanding of differences among rural Andean women.

Changes in taste and satiety in dietary-restrained women following stress

Stress has been shown to increase food consumption in women with high levels of dietary restraint (restrainers) but decrease consumption in nonrestrainers. The present study was designed to replicate the differential eating pattern following stress and measure physiological and subjective responses to food over repeated taste presentations. Restrained ( N = 16) and nonrestrained ( N = 16) women were given eight taste presentations of a food followed by an ad lib taste test. Between taste trials, half of the restrainers and nonrestrainers performed a variation of the Stroop stressor while remaining subjects sat quietly. Salivation to the food cue was measured at each trial as well as ratings of food liking, hunger, fullness, and arousal. Results showed significant effects of restraint on food liking and stress condition on hunger. Restrainers increased liking ratings over taste trials whereas ratings for nonrestrainers increased and then decreased to baseline levels by the last trial ( p = 0.05). Nonstressed subjects showed an increase in hunger ratings, whereas ratings for stressed subjects did not show any stable directional pattern ( p = 0.04). Salivary responses decreased for all groups ( p = 0.01). A significant interaction of restraint by stress for intake was found ( p = 0.03); restrainers increased consumption following stress whereas nonrestrainers decreased consumption as compared with controls. The data suggest that the Stroop task can influence intake in restrainers, but the changes in intake did not directly correspond to the changes observed during the presentations of the taste cues and stressor.

What should you eat? A survey of South Australian women's food consumption norms

In a random population survey, 418 South Australian women rated the desirability of consumption of 48 common foods, according to their perceived health relevance. Multidimensional scaling of the women's responses yielded three dimensions which accounted for 87% of total variance. The first two dimensions were related to healthiness (low fat, salt and sugar contents) and traditional-artificial nutrient-reduced foods respectively. Younger women rated healthy foods more highly. The mean ratings also formed a unidimensional scale which had high internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.80). These unidimensional scores were correlated with reported food intakes of a random sample of respondents in the State of Victoria, using mean values for demographic subgroups ( r = 0.50). The results suggest that food intake, or alternatively recalls of food intake, may be influenced by such prescriptive norms.

経年栄養調査対象者の参加・脱落

Food consumption surveys of the female population were conducted every year in a semi-rural community for eight years. The authors examined their commitment to the surveys. The surveys have been executed on women's food consumption by weight record method every year since 1978 in Ohami-Shirasatocho, chiba prefecture. The results were as follows : 1) The population size was 108 in the first year, and it increased gradually to 196 persons in 1980. The number of the participants of the survey was between 80 and 106. The participation rate of the population was 74.1% in 1978 and 82.5% in 1979. It decreased gradually to 49.0% in 1985. 2) The participation rate showed decreasing tendency during the observed pariod with some fluctuation. Half of the participants in the first year remained in the survey in the last observed year. 3) Up to the fourth year, the rate of those who dropped out was over 60%. But, it became fewer after that year. About 24% of the original participants in the first year still remained as active participants in 1985, even after eight years. 4) The frequency of participation shows ; while the participants in 1978 were surveyed 7 or 8 times, those who began to participate in subsequent years were less active in the survey. 5) It is desirable to consider these factors at the planning stages of the field survey in order to maintain a certain number of participants.