Attitudes and purchase intentions of polish university students towards food made from insects-A modelling approach.

The marketing of insect-derived protein has led to the development of respective legal regulations on such insects-based foods in the European Union. Despite the interest in the area of insect-based food, European researchers have paid relatively little attention to consumer attitudes and behaviors towards such products or the factors that may affect them. Attempts undertaken so far in this respect are insufficient; therefore, there is a need to continue and expand research in this field. The present study attempts to verify the following research hypotheses: H1. Attitudes towards food containing insects are related to the attributes/characteristics of these products, care for health and the natural environment, and attitudes towards novelty (neophilic/neophobic); H2. Intentions to purchase food containing insects can be predicted based on attitudes towards food from insects, product attributes, and attitudes towards environmental health and novelties. An empirical study was conducted among university students (N = 1063) by an indirect interview method using a specially designed questionnaire, via an online platform (Computer-Assisted Web Interview, CAWI) in November 2023. The questionnaire was validated by assessing the construction validity and estimating the reliability of the scales used. The study results demonstrated that the attributes of insect-based food products can influence the positive attitudes towards them and behavioral intentions to consume them, and that the strength of the impact of health quality traits is far greater than that of the organoleptic or functional traits. A negative, statistically significant value of the correlation coefficient between neophobic attitude and intention to purchase this type of food was observed. Thus, respondents without food neophobia were characterized by a positive attitude towards the purchase of foods containing edible insects in their composition.

Body image and willingness to change it-A study of university students in Poland.

The present study aimed to identify declared patterns of ideal appearance among students at selected higher education institutions in Poland. In the present study, we set out to identify the body image and the propensity to change it. In order to achieve the goal of the study, a nationwide survey was carried out using a voluntary diagnostic survey. A total of 810 respondents took part in the survey. The study was conducted using a custom-made self-designed survey questionnaire with an indirect interview technique via a web-based platform (CAWI). The study results indicate that women were far more eager to maintain an attractive appearance through dieting than men. Importantly, the respondents, both women and men, did not identify influencers as role models of attractive appearance. Results of the present survey reveal that attitudes towards one's physical appearance are diverse and influenced by the considered factors. The attributes that determined the perception of oneself as an attractive person included height, weight, and body build. Normal body weight is a key feature of an attractive appearance, according to the respondents; nevertheless, students show a higher tolerance for being overweight than for being underweight. Furthermore, preferences in this respect are largely conditioned by individual personal characteristics. According to young people, a person with an attractive appearance is one who eats and exercises regularly, and who does not fall into extremes in terms of their appearance. On the other hand, the fear of growing fat and losing one's attractive appearance was frequently indicated among the concerns over personal appearance. Only one in five respondents expressed complete satisfaction with how they looked, with men and those with a normal BMI significantly more likely to do so. Respondents expressed readiness to undertake a range of activities related to increased exercise regime, changes in their eating habits, or seeking assistance (e.g., of a personal trainer) to achieve the desired body shape. Our findings can be used as a basis for discussion and consideration in developing educational activities on nutrition, as well as on overweight- and obesity-related health issues.

[Content of nitrates (V) and nitrites (III) in some vegetables grown in the region of Warmia and Mazury]. / Zawartosc azotanow (V) i azotanów (III) w wybranych warzywach pochodzacych z regionu warmii i mazur.

The aim of this paper was to determine the concentration of nitrates (V) and nitrites (III) in some vegetables originating from producers from the province of Warmia and Mazury and in commercial samples provided by a plant producing frozen vegetables situated in the region. Nitrates and nitrites were measured using the spectrometric method according to the methodology described in the Polish Standard PN-92/A-75112. The analyzed vegetables had small amounts of the examined compounds, which were considerably lower than those reported by other authors. The highest means of 48.79 and 33.63 mg NaNO3/kg and 1.79 and 4.83 mg NaNO2/kg were found in the samples from the suppliers and in the commercial spinach samples, respectively. The obtained residual amounts of the examined compounds and lack of significant differences in their concentration between the vegetables produced by different producers indicate the necessity of further studies in this field. Should these results be confirmed in future studies, this fact may have a great importance in the development of an ecological farming strategy for the region of Warmia and Mazury.