Consumption Of Healthful Foods Research Articles

Dietary Patterns and Health Behaviors of Hypertensive Korean Adults

Findings from European and American studies have indicated such health behaviors as smoking, drinking, lack of exercise, and insufficient intake of grains, fruits and vegetables as risk factors for hypertension. However, because dietary pattern and health behaviors of Korean differ from people of other countries, the risk factors for Koreans could be different. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify food consumption patterns and health behavior characteristics of Korean hypertensive adults. Data on food consumptions and other health behaviors such as smoking, drinking, and exercise together with development of hypertension were collected from 597 persons aged 20 to 69 years in a local community. The first stage of analysis utilized cluster analysis to aggregate individuals into different health behavior and food consumption groups. Four health behavior groups were characterized by passive cluster, smoker cluster, fitness cluster and drinker cluster. Food consumption patterns of the subjects were also aggregated into 4 different clusters: dairy cluster, grain & vegetable cluster, fruit cluster, and fish & meat cluster. Then univariate analysis was followed to identify the variables associated with hypertension. The final stage of analysis was the identification of the relative importance of the variables selected from the univariate analysis on hypertension, using multiple logistic analysis. The results showed that heavy drinking was the most significant health behavior associated hypertension, which was similar to the findings in European and American studies. However, unlike the findings from foreign studies, grain and vegetable consumption appeared to be a risk factor for hypertension. A possible reason for the contradictory results between Korean and Western studies may be the dependence of Koreans on white rice as the major staple food, and/or the frequent consumption of salted vegetables, rather than fresh vegetables as is customary in Europe and America.

Point-of-Purchase Messages Framed in Terms of Cost, Convenience, Taste, and Energy Improve Healthful Snack Selection in a College Foodservice Setting

Objective To examine the effects of a point-of-purchase (POP) intervention emphasizing various properties of healthful food items on college students’ snack purchases.Design In Study 1, vegetable baskets (containing cut pieces of vegetables), fruit baskets (containing cut pieces of fruit), pretzels, and yogurt were promoted in separate POP interventions. Food sales were monitored over 2-week baseline, 4-week intervention, and 2-week follow-up periods. In Study 2, yogurt was promoted across a 2-week baseline, 2-week intervention, and 2-week follow-up periods and an intercept survey was conducted.Subjects/setting Approximately 2,280 university students were potentially exposed to the intervention, and 72 students responded to the intercept survey.Intervention POP messages were placed on an 11×17-in poster located at the cafeteria entrance, and two 4×2.5-in signs placed next to the targeted food item. Messages emphasized the Budget-friendly, Energizing, Sensory/taste, Time efficient/convenient (BEST) stimulus properties of food.Main outcome measures Daily sales of the targeted food items.Statistical analyses performed Analyses of variance with Tukey post hoc tests were used to compare food sales during the baseline, intervention, and follow-up periods.Results In Study 1, yogurt and pretzel sales increased during the intervention and post-intervention periods (P<.05). Interventions had no effect on fruit basket and vegetable basket sales (P>.05), but whole fruit sales increased during the fruit basket intervention and follow-up (P<.05). In Study 2, yogurt sales were significantly greater during the intervention and follow-up periods than at baseline (P<.01).Applications/conclusions Using the BEST properties in POP interventions may be beneficial in promoting the consumption of healthful foods among university students, particularly when the targeted foods are priced comparably to less healthful foods. J Am Diet Assoc. 2001;101:909-913.

Measuring the Welfare Effects of Nutrition Information

AbstractCost/benefit analysis justifies regulations altering the amount of health‐related information presented to consumers. The current method of benefit analysis, the cost of avoided illness, is limited; it assumes the benefits of health‐related information are adequately represented by changes in illnesses. The manuscript develops a benefit estimation method to measure the welfare impacts of providing nutrient information. Nutrient labeling significantly affects purchase behaviour but may not lead to increased consumption of health foods. Nutrient labeling may increase welfare without any change in health risk. Thus, the cost of avoided illness approach can underestimate the social benefits of providing nutrient information.

Report of a seminar and workshop on Food‐based Dietary Guidelines and Nutrition Education: Bridging Science and Communication

The 3-day seminar-workshop on 'Food-based Dietary Guidelines and Nutrition Education' was held from 22-24 July 1998 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to present the latest scientific information on nutrition and health and to discuss its impact on the rationale and process for the development of food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG). The first two sessions were devoted to a review of the current information on the relation between lifestyle factors and chronic diseases, particularly obesity; the present health status and food consumption patterns in Malaysia; the current consensus on carbohydrates and fats and oils and the importance of considering the glycemic index of foods; and the importance of micronutrients in health and disease. The third and fourth sessions dealt with the rationale of FBDG and the process of their development, drawing from the 1990 FAO/WHO Consultation on Development of FBDG and the experience in the Philippines and in Europe. The importance of effective dissemination of nutrition messages to the public was thoroughhly discussed. The workshop sessions arrived at recommendations on important issues in the development of FBDG in the region, including main research and information needs, the steps in the development of FBDG, and strategies for their dissemination.

Dietetic Professionals Partner With Schools to Promote Team Nutrition

Team Nutrition is a United States Department of Agriculture initiative designed to improve the health and education of children by creating innovative public and private partnerships that promote food choices for a healthful diet through media, schools, families, and communities. The goals of Team Nutrition are to: 1) expand the variety of foods children have in their diet; 2) add more fruits, vegetables, and grains to the foods children already eat; and 3) assist children in constructing a diet lower in fat. Dietetic professionals can play a unique role in promoting Team Nutrition goals in schools because they understand the importance of healthy eating habits among children and have the skills and ability to convey the importance of good nutrition to others. Nevada's “Team Nutrition Partners” program was created to facilitate their involvement in schools. The goal of the program is to enhance the school environment by promoting the consumption of healthful foods and increasing access to nutrition education. Dietetic professionals were recruited and trained to serve as volunteers within schools. These volunteers (n-17) conducted environmental scans at participating elementary and middle schools (n-18) to identify potential changes regarding nutrition that would result in long-term improvements in the school environment. Results were discussed with school principals and an action plan was agreed upon. Implementation of plans have resulted in many positive impacts: established a new school breakfast program; educated parents on good nutrition through the parent/teacher association and school newsletters; conducted nutrition workshops for teachers; worked with teachers and parents on healthy alternatives for school fundraisers; and located nutrition education resources for teachers.Project funding was provided in part by the Nevada Division of Health.

Fecal bacterial enzyme activities in infants increase with age and adoption of adult-type diet.

The present study was conducted to determine the effects of age and diet (breast milk, milk formula, weaning diet) on the activities of some bacterial enzymes in fecal samples collected from 3- to 24-month-old infants. These bacterial enzymes may generate toxic, mutagenic, or carcinogenic metabolites from plant glycosides (beta-glucuronidase, beta-glucosidase) or from urea (urease). The subjects were 68 healthy children ages 3 (n = 20), 6 (n = 20), 12 (n = 17), and 24 (n = 11) months. None of the children had been given any antibiotics during 4 weeks before collection of the fecal samples. Health status, bowel habits, and food consumption of the children were determined by interview of one of the parents using a structured questionnaire. A spot fecal sample from each child was collected. The activities of beta-glucuronidase and beta-glucosidase increased from 0.52 and 1.17 nmol/min x mg protein (at 3 months) to 1.41 and 2.38 nmol/min x mg protein (at 2 years), respectively. However, at 2 years of age, the children had not yet reached the levels reported in earlier studies on adult populations. Urease activity increased from 4.18 nmol/min x mg protein (at 3 months) to 19.0 nmol/min x mg protein (at 2 years), reaching by 12 months of age the level observed in adults. Breast feeding as such had no consistent effect on fecal bacterial enzyme activities. beta-Glucuronidase and beta-glucosidase were higher in those 6- and 12-month-old children who consumed more meat, fish, sausages, or eggs. It can be concluded that the fecal enzyme activities in the gastrointestinal tract increase and that their profile changes with age and adoption of adult-type diet. It remains open, however, whether these changes are caused by the normal physiological aging process or by stepwise introduction of new foods to the diet.

Effect of Collectivist Orientation and Ecological Attitude on Actual Environmental Commitment

Despite previous research efforts on mapping the demographic profile of a general conserving consumer, a review on the ecological concern literature shows that previous studies had limited success in explaining the social basis of ecological behaviour. An empirical study was carried out to ascertain the role of demographics in determining ecological purchase commitment. It examines the moderating role of consumer demographic characteristics and product involvement on the value-attitude-behaviour relationship in the context of health food consumption. The general pattern of findings supports the primary thesis of the research that the effect of collectivist orientation and ecological attitude on ecological commitment depends on the nature of the targeted consumer group. Essentially, people who are male, those who earn high income, and people who have high involvement in the health food category, engage in more extensive green-product-related information search, and purchase green products more frequently.

Confronting a rising tide of eating disorders and obesity: Treatment vs. prevention and policy

Eating disorders and obesity are rising in prevalence and are problems of considerable public health significance. Prevailing treatments have a limited impact on public health because the disorders do not yield easily to intervention and because the treatments are costly and available to few. Shifting from a medical to a public health model argues for increased focus on both prevention and public policy. Research on prevention is in its early stages but must be aggressively pursued. Even less is known about policy, but recommendations are made to alter policy so that consumption of healthful foods increases, consumption of unhealthful foods decreases, and levels of physical activity are enhanced.