Personal values, food habits and lifestyles in a sample of adolescents with different adherence to the Mediterranean Diet.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the personal values system of an Italian adolescent sample and examine the interrelations of their values with some variables characterizing their lifestyles. METHODS: A representative sample of 365 adolescents (56.2% females), 15-16 years old from the randomly selected second classes of public/private upper secondary schools of an Italian model region was investigated. The lifestyle of adolescents was explored through a 37-items structured, self-administered questionnaire. Ponderal status was evaluated from measured weight and height. The adherence to the Mediterranean Diet of the sample was determined by the KIDMED Test. The adolescents completed the 21-item Portrait Values Questionnaire, which assesses respondents' endorsement of the ten basic human values. RESULTS: The results suggest that variables related to their eating habits may be associated with their basic values. Some not healthy eating habits, such as eating while "watching TV"/using PC"/ "studying," were negatively related to tradition, conformity, and security values. The adolescents with both moderate and strong alcohol use, and with smoking habits also showed the highest percentage of low adherence to the Mediterranean Diet. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings might provide some useful information to support the development of more effective and targeted health promotion interventions approaches tailored for this age group.

Psychosocial and cultural determinants of dietary intake in community-dwelling older adults: A Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity systematic literature review.

OBJECTIVES: Knowledge of factors determining dietary intake is important to develop targeted strategies to prevent malnutrition and age-related diseases. The aim of the present systematic review was to analyze the state of the art regarding the role of social status, cultural aspects, and psychological distress on dietary intake in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: A systematic search was performed per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses procedure. Titles, abstracts, and full texts were screened for predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. RESULTS: Thirty-nine studies were included. Seven different groups of psychosocial and cultural determinants were associated with dietary intake. Family structure and living situation (e.g., loneliness, marital status), educational level, and income were the most important determinants associated with dietary choices and eating behavior. Less frequently, social assets, demographic parameters, psychosocial status, and awareness of current dietary recommendations were associated with the quality of the eating pattern. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our review indicate heterogeneity of the studies in the field of social and psychological determinants of dietary patterns in older adults, but some important conclusions can be drawn. Further research harmonizing and integrating approaches and methodologies are required to better understand the determinants of dietary intake and the complexity of their interactions.

Functional determinants of dietary intake in community-dwelling older adults: a DEDIPAC (DEterminants of DIet and Physical ACtivity) systematic literature review.

OBJECTIVE: The identification of determinants of dietary intake is an important prerequisite for the development of interventions to improve diet. The present systematic literature review aimed to compile the current knowledge on individual functional determinants of dietary intake in community-dwelling older adults. DESIGN: A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library. Titles, abstracts and full texts were screened according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Studies were included when focusing on dietary intake as an outcome and on chemosensory, oral, cognitive or physical function as a determinant. SETTING: Community. SUBJECTS: Older adults at least 65 years old without acute or specific chronic diseases. RESULTS: From initially 14 585 potentially relevant papers, thirty-six were included. For chemosensory, cognitive and physical function only a few papers were found, which reported inconsistent results regarding the relationship to dietary intake. In contrast, oral function was extensively studied (n 31). Different surrogates of oral function like dental status, number of teeth, bite force or chewing problems were associated with food as well as nutrient intakes including fibre. As all except six studies had a cross-sectional design, no causal relationships could be derived. CONCLUSIONS: Among functional determinants of dietary intake oral factors are well documented in older adults, whereas the role of other functional determinants remains unclear and needs further systematic research.

Which dimensions of food-related lifestyle are likely to be associated with obesity in Italy?

OBJECTIVE: To compare obese v. non-obese consumers in terms of their general food-related lifestyles and to explore possible food-related factors affecting obesity in Italy. DESIGN: The data were collected using a self-completion questionnaire. Data included sociodemographic information, measures of the Food-Related Lifestyle scale (FRL) and self-reported weight and height. A logistic regression model was fitted for the sample with obesity as the dependent variable and sociodemographic characteristics and FRL dimensions as the independent variables. SETTING: The survey was carried out in Italy between October and November 2010. SUBJECTS: One thousand respondents were recruited with equal quotas for men v. women. The sample was representative of the Italian population in term of age groups and geographic areas. The participants were over 18 years of age and were solely or jointly responsible for the family's food shopping. RESULTS: Our analyses revealed that sociodemographic, economic and cultural variables affect the increasing rate of obesity in Italy. Obese respondents appeared to find more enjoyment from shopping and interest in cooking compared with non-obese ones. Moreover, they were more likely to find self-fulfilment in foods. However, obese respondents appeared to be less interested in the nutritional content of foods, suggesting their weak involvement in nutritional aspects when they eat. In fact, the obese respondents gave preference to snacks over meals. CONCLUSIONS: The outcome of the study would suggest that in targeted interventions for public health purposes in order to address obesity, attention should be placed on the role that food plays in obese consumers' lives.

A chromone from Seseli praecox (Apiaceae).

Chemical investigation of the stems of Seseli praecox (Gamisans) Gamisans, an endemic Apiaceae from Sardinia, afforded an isopropenylated chromone (5-hydroxy-6-(2-Z-butenyl-3-hydroxymethyl)-7-methoxy-2-methylchromone), along with four known linear furocoumarins and their natural precursor. For biological characterization the new compound was screened against four cancer cell lines in vitro and showed differential microM antiproliferative effects between suspension and adherent cells.

Willingness to use functional breads. Applying the Health Belief Model across four European countries.

The present study focused on the role of the Health Belief Model (HBM) in predicting willingness to use functional breads, across four European countries: UK (N=552), Italy (N=504), Germany (N=525) and Finland (N=513). The behavioural evaluation components of the HBM (the perceived benefits and barriers conceptualized respectively as perceived healthiness and pleasantness) and the health motivation component were good predictors of willingness to use functional breads whereas threat perception components (perceived susceptibility and perceived anticipated severity) failed as predictors. This result was common in all four countries and across products. The role of 'cue to action' was marginal. On the whole the HBM fit was similar across the countries and products in terms of significant predictors (the perceived benefits, barriers and health motivation) with the exception of self-efficacy which was significant only in Finland. Young consumers seemed more interested in the functional bread with a health claim promoting health rather than in reducing risk of disease, whereas the opposite was true for older people. However, functional staple foods, such as bread in this European study, are still perceived as common foods rather than as a means of avoiding diseases. Consumers seek these foods for their healthiness (the perceived benefits) as they expect them to be healthier than regular foods and for the pleasantness (the perceived barriers) as they do not expect any change in the sensory characteristics due to the addition of the functional ingredients. The importance of health motivation in willingness to use products with health claims implies that there is an opening for developing better models for explaining health-promoting food choices that take into account both food and health-related factors without making a reference to disease-related outcome.