Differences in Adolescents’ Food Habits Checklist (AFHC) Scores before and during Pandemic in a Population-Based Sample: Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study

The COVID-19 pandemic is known to influence the dietary habits of adults, but results for adolescents in studies are ambiguous. The present work aimed to analyze the differences in the scores of the Adolescents’ Food Habits Checklist (AFHC) before and during the pandemic in the Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study population. The PLACE-19 Study was conducted during the pandemic among a population of 2448 students recruited from secondary schools in all regions of Poland using a random quota sampling. The participants were required to complete an AFHC consisting of 23 items pertaining to food purchase, preparation, and consumption habits. Current habits (during the pandemic) and previous habits were assessed and scored separately. The total (p = 0.001), purchase (p < 0.001), and consumption scores (p = 0.014) indicated that the AFHC scores during the pandemic were higher than before. For questions on purchase habits, a lower number of respondents reported eating in a restaurant, eating takeaway meals, having lunch away from home, or buying pastries, cakes or crisps. For questions on preparation habits, an greater number of respondents reported that they usually avoided eating fried food and tried to keep their overall sugar intake down, but fewer respondents said they tried to have low-fat desserts. For questions on consumption habits, a lower number of respondents reported that they usually ate a dessert or pudding if one were available and a larger number said they made sure to eat at least one serving of vegetables or salad a day and at least three servings of fruit most days. Based on the obtained results, it may be stated that although there was an increase in the AFHC scores during the pandemic, a similar share of respondents showed improved or worsened food habits, and a similar share changed their food habits from healthy to unhealthy and from unhealthy to healthy. At the same time, a majority of changes were associated with purchase habits, which were probably forced by lockdowns and the resultant restrictions in eating out or grocery shopping.

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Population-Based Study of the Changes in the Food Choice Determinants of Secondary School Students: Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu12092640 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (9) ◽

pp. 2640 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Dominika Głąbska ◽

Dominika Skolmowska ◽

Dominika Guzek

Keyword(s):

Secondary School ◽

Food Choice ◽

Weight Control ◽

Secondary School Students ◽

Dietary Habits ◽

National Sample ◽

Population Based ◽

School Students ◽

Study Population ◽

Quota Sampling

During the outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the lockdown, various changes of dietary habits are observed, including both positive and negative ones. However, the food choice determinants in this period were not studied so far for children and adolescents. The study aimed to analyze the changes in the food choice determinants of secondary school students in a national sample of Polish adolescents within the Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study population. The study was conducted in May 2020, based on the random quota sampling of schools (for voivodeships and counties) and a number of 2448 students from all the regions of Poland participated. The Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) (36 items) was applied twice—to analyze separately current choices (during the period of COVID-19 pandemic) and general choices (when there was no COVID-19 pandemic). For both the period before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, sensory appeal and price were indicated as the most important factors (with the highest scores). However, differences were observed between the scores of specific factors, while health (p < 0.0001) and weight control (p < 0.0001) were declared as more important during the period of COVID-19 pandemic, compared with the period before, but mood (p < 0.0001) and sensory appeal (p < 0.0001) as less important. The observations were confirmed for sub-groups, while female and male respondents were analyzed separately. It can be concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic may have changed the food choice determinants of Polish adolescents, as it may have increased the importance of health and weight control, but reduced the role of mood and sensory appeal. This may be interpreted as positive changes promoting the uptake of a better diet than in the period before the pandemic.

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Association between Food Preferences and Food Habits in a Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13093003 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 3003

Author(s):

Dominika Skolmowska ◽

Dominika Głąbska ◽

Dominika Guzek

Keyword(s):

Food Habits ◽

Food Preference ◽

Food Preferences ◽

Population Based ◽

Sampling Procedure ◽

Influential Factors ◽

School Students ◽

Food Purchase ◽

Fried Foods ◽

Consumption Habits

Food preferences are among the most influential factors of food habits in the vulnerable period of adolescence; in addition, gender-dependent differences in food preferences are also observed. The aim of the present study was to analyze differences in food habits between individuals stratified based on their food preferences in a population-based sample of adolescents aged 15–20. The study was conducted within the Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study population in a group of 2419 secondary school students who were randomly chosen to participate in the study using a random quota sampling procedure. The food preferences were determined on the basis of a validated Food Preference Questionnaire (FPQ) (which enables assessing preference of vegetables, fruit, meat/fish, dairy, snacks, and starches), whereas food habits were determined on the basis of the Adolescents’ Food Habits Checklist (AFHC) (which enables assessing food purchase, preparation, and consumption habits). The analysis involved three homogenous clusters (‘low-preferring’, ‘hedonists’, and ‘high-preferring’), which were identified using the k-means algorithm. It was found that for a number of the assessed food purchase, preparation, and consumption habits, there were statistically significant differences between the ‘low-preferring’, ‘hedonists’, and ‘high-preferring’ clusters. Within food purchase habits, the food preference influenced frequency of buying pastries/cakes and frequency of eating takeaway meals for all the respondents, while for female respondents, it influenced also choice of desserts in restaurants, and for male respondents, it influenced choosing a low-fat lunch away from home (p < 0.05). Within food preparation habits, the food preference influenced the fat content in desserts at home, the frequency of eating at least one serving of vegetables/salad with an evening meal, the frequency of spreading butter/margarine on bread thinly, and the frequency of having cream on desserts for all the respondents; meanwhile, for female respondents, it also influenced the frequency of avoiding fried foods and the frequency of including chocolate/biscuits in their packed lunch (p < 0.05). Within food consumption habits, the food preference influenced the frequency of eating a dessert/pudding, eating at least one serving of fruit a day, eating at least one serving of vegetables/salad a day, avoiding sausages/burgers, trying to ensure they eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, and frequency of choosing fruit as a snack for all the respondents; meanwhile, for male respondents, it also influenced the frequency of eating sweet snacks and eating at least three servings of fruit most days (p < 0.05). Taking into account that some improper food habits may be typical for the specific clusters, there is an urgent need to analyze and address them for the purposes of public health and to bear in mind that some of those habits are gender-dependent.

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Associations between Food Preferences, Food Approach, and Food Avoidance in a Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study Population

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13072427 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 2427

Author(s):

Dominika Guzek ◽

Dominika Skolmowska ◽

Dominika Głąbska

Keyword(s):

Food Preferences ◽

Population Based ◽

School Students ◽

Approach And Avoidance ◽

Food Avoidance ◽

High Preference ◽

Study Population ◽

Quota Sampling ◽

The Relationship ◽

Food Fussiness

Food preferences are among the strongest predictors of the food choices of adolescents. These are associated with appetitive traits (food approach and avoidance) to some extent. However, no research has been conducted so far analyzing the association between food preferences and appetitive traits of adolescents. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations between food preferences and appetitive traits in adolescents (aged 15–20 years) within the Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study population. The PLACE-19 Study was carried out in a population-based sample of 2448 secondary school students sampled across the country (random quota sampling). Food preferences (including the preference for vegetables, fruit, meat/fish, dairy, snacks, and starches) of the adolescents were assessed using the validated Food Preference Questionnaire (FPQ) while their appetitive traits (hunger, food responsiveness, emotional overeating, enjoyment of food, satiety responsiveness, emotional undereating, food fussiness, slowness in eating) were assessed using the validated Adult Eating Behavior Questionnaire (AEBQ). The k-means clustering was performed to identify the homogenous clusters of respondents based on their preferences, and linear regression was performed to determine the relationship between food preferences and appetitive traits with a model adjusted for sex and age. Based on their preferences, three homogenous clusters of respondents were defined: low-preferring respondents (low preference for all food categories), respondents preferring snacking foods (low preference for all food categories, except for fruit and snacks), and high-preferring respondents (high preference for all food categories). The low-preferring respondents showed the lowest values for all appetitive traits (p = 0.0008), as well as the lowest total score (p = 0.0001), except for food fussiness, for which they showed the highest value (p = 0.0008). All preference scores were positively associated with traits such as hunger, food responsiveness, enjoyment of food, and emotional under-eating, while negatively associated with food fussiness (all p < 0.05). The largest amount of variance was observed for preference for dairy (14.6%; R2 = 0.146, p = 0.008) and snacks with respect to enjoyment of food (16.2%; R2 = 0.162, p = 0.008), for vegetable with respect to food fussiness (22%; R2 = 0.220, p = 0.008), and for meat/fish with respect to enjoyment of food (19.9%; R2 = 0.199, p = 0.008) and food fussiness combined (19.1%; R2 = 0.191, p = 0.008). These results support the association of food preferences with both food approach traits and food avoidance traits.

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Gluten intake in 6–36-month-old Danish infants and children based on a national survey

Journal of Nutritional Science ◽

10.1017/jns.2013.1 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Camilla Hoppe ◽

Ellen Trolle ◽

Ulla H. Gondolf ◽

Steffen Husby

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Young Children ◽

Dietary Habits ◽

Population Based ◽

Food Composition ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Study Population ◽

Composition Table ◽

Breast Fed ◽

Infants And Young Children

AbstractCoeliac disease (CD) affects about 1 % of the general population. Information concerning gluten intake in the general population is scarce. In particular, variation in gluten intake during the complementary feeding period may be an independent risk factor in CD pathogenesis. We determined the intake of gluten from wheat, barley, rye and oats in a cross-sectional National Danish Survey of Dietary Habits among Infants and Young Children (2006–2007). The study population comprised a random sample of 1743 children aged 6–36 months, recruited from the National Danish Civil Registry. The protein contents from wheat, rye, barley and oats were found in the National Danish Food Composition Table, and multiplied with the amounts in the recipes. The amounts of gluten were calculated as the amount of cereal protein × 0·80 for wheat and oats, ×0·65 for rye and ×0·50 for barley. Dietary intake was recorded daily for seven consecutive days in pre-coded food records supplemented with open-answer possibilities. Gluten intake increased with age (P < 0·0001). Oats were introduced first, rapidly outpaced by wheat, the intake of which continued to increase with age, whereas oats started to decrease at 12 months. Boys had a higher intake of energy (P ≤ 0·0001) and all types of gluten, except for barley (P ≤ 0·87). In 8–10-month-old (P < 0·0001) and 10–12-month-old (P = 0·007), but not in 6–8-month-old infants (P = 0·331), non-breast-fed infants had higher total gluten intake than partially breast-fed infants. In conclusion, this study presents representative population-based data on gluten intake in Danish infants and young children.

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Validation of the Japanese Version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale—Revised: A Preliminary Analysis

Behavioral Sciences ◽

10.3390/bs11080107 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 107

Author(s):

Hirohito Tsuboi ◽

Yui Takakura ◽

Hiromasa Tsujiguchi ◽

Sakae Miyagi ◽

Keita Suzuki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Factor Analysis ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Japanese Version ◽

Population Based ◽

Epidemiologic Studies ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Two Factors ◽

Study Population

To make the Japanese version of the CESD-R—a revised version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies depression scale (CES-D)—in the assessment of depressive symptoms in a general population. The English version of CESD-R was translated into Japanese, and back-translated into English by three native speakers of Japanese and English; then, we selected the version most completely consistent with the original items. The CESD-R was applied to 398 community-dwelling people (191 men: 48.0%, and 207 women: 52.0%) who were over 40 years old. The Japanese version of the CES-D was also carried out in the same population. Factor analysis was performed. Additionally, the correlations between the CESD-R and CES-D results were identified. The CESD-R scores showed a significantly positive correlation with CES-D scores (r = 0.74, p < 0.0005). Analysis of the CESD-R yielded a Cronbach’s alpha result of 0.90. Factor analysis revealed one principal factor in the CESD-R, whereas the original CES-D had two factors because of reversed items. The Japanese version of the CESD-R appears to have the reliability to be applicable for assessing depressive symptoms in population-based samples. However, because the Japanese expressions for some items might be unusual, our study population was also limited; further studies on other populations and on incorporating improved Japanese terminology will be needed.

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Food Preferences and Food Choice Determinants in a Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13082491 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 2491

Author(s):

Dominika Głąbska ◽

Dominika Skolmowska ◽

Dominika Guzek

Keyword(s):

Secondary School ◽

Food Choice ◽

Food Preference ◽

Food Preferences ◽

Food Choices ◽

Population Based ◽

School Students ◽

High Preference ◽

Quota Sampling ◽

Food Choice Motives

Food preferences are within the most important determinants of food choices; however, little is known about their complex associations, and no studies were conducted in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the study was to analyze the association between food preferences and food choice determinants in adolescents aged 15–20 years within the Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study. The PLACE-19 Study included a random quota sampling conducted in the whole of Poland and covered a population-based sample of 2448 secondary school students. The food preferences were assessed using a validated Food Preference Questionnaire (FPQ), and the food choices were assessed using a validated Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ). The statistical analysis comprised k-means clustering and linear regression adjusted for sex and age. Four homogenous clusters of respondents were defined based on the food choice motives—“healthy eaters” (health as the most important determinant of food choices), “hedonists” (convenience, sensory appeal, and price as the most important determinants), “indifferent consumers” (low significance for all determinants), and “demanding consumers” (high significance for all determinants). The preferences for all food categories differed when comparing between clusters presenting various food choice determinants (p < 0.001). The “healthy eaters” were characterized by the highest preference for vegetables; the “hedonists” preferred meat/fish, dairy, and snacks; the “demanding consumers” had a high preference for all food categories, while “indifferent consumers” had a low preference for all food categories. All preference scores were positively associated with mood, convenience, sensory appeal, natural content, and price (p < 0.05). The results confirmed the association between food preferences and food choice determinants in adolescents, as well as allowed adolescents to be clustered into segments to define various needs and motives among the identified segments. For public health purposes, it may be crucial to educate “hedonists,” with a high preference for meat/fish, dairy and snacks, accompanied by convenience, sensory appeal, and price as the most important determinants of their food choices.

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A Similar Lifetime CV Risk and a Similar Cardiometabolic Profile in the Moderate and High Cardiovascular Risk Populations: A Population-Based Study

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10081584 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 1584

Author(s):

Małgorzata Chlabicz ◽

Jacek Jamiołkowski ◽

Wojciech Łaguna ◽

Paweł Sowa ◽

Marlena Paniczko ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Cardiovascular Risk ◽

Premature Mortality ◽

Population Based ◽

Pharmacological Management ◽

Study Population ◽

Perspective Model ◽

European Society Of Cardiology ◽

Cardiometabolic Profile

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major, worldwide problem that remains the dominant cause of premature mortality in the world, and increasing rates of dysglycaemia are a major contributor to its development. The aim of this study was to investigate the cardiometabolic profile among patients in particular cardiovascular risk classes, and to estimate their long term CV risk. Methods: A total of 931 individuals aged 20–79 were included. The study population was divided into CV risk classes according to the latest European Society of Cardiology recommendations. Results: Most of the analyzed anthropometric, body composition and laboratory parameters did not differ between the moderate and high CV risk participants. Interestingly, estimating the lifetime risk of myocardial infarction, stroke or CV death, using the LIFEtime-perspective model for individualizing CardioVascular Disease prevention strategies in apparently healthy people, yielded similar results in moderate and high CV risk classes. Conclusion: The participants who belonged to moderate and high CV risk classes had very similar unfavorable cardiometabolic profiles, which may result in similar lifetime CV risk. This may imply the need for more aggressive pharmacological and non-pharmacological management of CV risk factors in the moderate CV risk population, who are often unaware of their situation. New prospective population studies are necessary to establish the true cardiovascular risk profiles in a changing society.

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Inverse Association Between Health Literacy and Obesity Among Children in Greece: A School-Based, Cross-Sectional Epidemiological Study

Health Education & Behavior ◽

10.1177/1090198120982944 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 109019812098294

Author(s):

Aikaterini Kanellopoulou ◽

Venetia Notara ◽

George Antonogeorgos ◽

Maria Chrissini ◽

Andrea Paola Rojas-Gil ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Literacy ◽

Weight Status ◽

Dietary Habits ◽

Population Based ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Inverse Association ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Body Weight Status ◽

High Level

Children’s health literacy is a crucial pillar of health. This study is aimed to examine the association between health literacy and weight status among Greek schoolchildren aged 10 to 12 years old. A population-based, cross-sectional observational study enrolling 1,728 students (795 boys), aged 10 to 12 years old, was conducted during school years 2014–2016. A health literacy index (range 0-100) was created through an item response theory hybrid model, by combining a variety of beliefs and perceptions of children about health. The mean health literacy score was 70.4 (±18.7). The majority of children (63.8%) had a “high” level (i.e., >67/100) of health literacy, 30.5% had a “medium” level (i.e., 34–66/100) of health literacy, while a small proportion of children (5.7%) had a “low” level (i.e., <33/100). Girls exhibited a higher level of health literacy than boys (71.7 ± 18.3 vs. 68.8 ± 19.1, p < .01). Regarding body weight status, 21.7% of children was overweight and 5.0% was obese. Linear regression models showed that the health literacy score was inversely associated with children’s body mass index (regression coefficient [95% CI]: −0.010 [−0.018, −0.001]), after adjusting for dietary habits, physical activity levels, and other potential confounders. Health literacy seems to be a dominant characteristic of children’s weight status; therefore, school planning, as well as public health policy actions should emphasize on the ability of children’s capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information.

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Incorporating false negative tests in epidemiological models for SARS-CoV-2 transmission and reconciling with seroprevalence estimates

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-89127-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Rupam Bhattacharyya ◽

Ritoban Kundu ◽

Ritwik Bhaduri ◽

Debashree Ray ◽

Lauren J. Beesley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

False Negative ◽

Population Based ◽

Training Data ◽

Epidemiological Models ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Antibody Prevalence ◽

Igg Antibody ◽

False Negatives ◽

Seir Model ◽

Study Population

AbstractSusceptible-Exposed-Infected-Removed (SEIR)-type epidemiologic models, modeling unascertained infections latently, can predict unreported cases and deaths assuming perfect testing. We apply a method we developed to account for the high false negative rates of diagnostic RT-PCR tests for detecting an active SARS-CoV-2 infection in a classic SEIR model. The number of unascertained cases and false negatives being unobservable in a real study, population-based serosurveys can help validate model projections. Applying our method to training data from Delhi, India, during March 15–June 30, 2020, we estimate the underreporting factor for cases at 34–53 (deaths: 8–13) on July 10, 2020, largely consistent with the findings of the first round of serosurveys for Delhi (done during June 27–July 10, 2020) with an estimated 22.86% IgG antibody prevalence, yielding estimated underreporting factors of 30–42 for cases. Together, these imply approximately 96–98% cases in Delhi remained unreported (July 10, 2020). Updated calculations using training data during March 15-December 31, 2020 yield estimated underreporting factor for cases at 13–22 (deaths: 3–7) on January 23, 2021, which are again consistent with the latest (fifth) round of serosurveys for Delhi (done during January 15–23, 2021) with an estimated 56.13% IgG antibody prevalence, yielding an estimated range for the underreporting factor for cases at 17–21. Together, these updated estimates imply approximately 92–96% cases in Delhi remained unreported (January 23, 2021). Such model-based estimates, updated with latest data, provide a viable alternative to repeated resource-intensive serosurveys for tracking unreported cases and deaths and gauging the true extent of the pandemic.

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A prospective study of eating away-from-home meals and weight gain in a Mediterranean population: the SUN (Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra) cohort

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980009992783 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 1356-1363 ◽

Cited By ~ 59

Author(s):

Maira Bes-Rastrollo ◽

Francisco Javier Basterra-Gortari ◽

Almudena Sánchez-Villegas ◽

Amelia Marti ◽

José Alfredo Martínez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Weight Gain ◽

Dietary Habits ◽

Mediterranean Area ◽

Mediterranean Population ◽

University Graduates ◽

The Sun ◽

Adjusted Risk ◽

Mediterranean Countries ◽

Eating Out

AbstractObjectiveThe traditional Mediterranean food pattern is more easily preserved when meals are eaten at home; however, as a result of recent socio-economic changes, away-from-home meal consumption has increased rapidly in Mediterranean countries. Little research has been conducted so far to investigate the long-term health effects of these changes in the Mediterranean area.DesignIn a prospective Spanish dynamic cohort of 9182 university graduates (the SUN Study; Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra, University of Navarra Follow-up) with a mean age of 37 years, followed up for an average of 4·4 years, we assessed the association between the frequency of eating out of home and weight gain or incident overweight/obesity. Dietary habits were assessed with an FFQ previously validated in Spain.ResultsDuring follow-up, eating-out consumers (two times or more per week) had higher average adjusted weight gain (+129 g/year, P < 0·001) and higher adjusted risk of gaining 2 kg or more per year (OR = 1·36; 95 % CI 1·13, 1·63) than non-eating-out consumers. Among participants with baseline BMI < 25 kg/m2, we observed 855 new cases of overweight/obesity. Eating away-from-home meals was significantly associated with a higher risk of becoming overweight/obese (hazard ratio = 1·33; 95 % CI 1·13, 1·57).ConclusionsA higher frequency of meals eaten out of home may play a role in the current obesity epidemic observed in some Mediterranean countries.

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