Background: Nutrition-related knowledge (NRK) and nutrition-related attitudes (NRAs) are necessary for dietary changes toward healthier dietary patterns. In turn, healthier dietary patterns can be beneficial in maintaining health of older adults. Therefore, the aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate whether NRK and NRAs were associated with lifestyle and health features among older adults (65+ years) from five European countries (France, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands and United Kingdom).Methods: Within the European project NU-AGE, 1,144 healthy elderly volunteers (65–79 years) were randomly assigned to two groups: intervention (NU-AGE diet) or control. After 1-year of follow-up, both NRK and NRAs were assessed during exit interviews, in combination with a number of lifestyle and health variables (e.g., physical activity, smoking, alcohol use, BMI, self-assessed health status). Multivariable linear regression models were used in data analysis.Results: In the NU-AGE study sample, good NRK was associated with lower BMI and higher physical activity. More positive NRAs were related to lower BMI and self-reported very good or good appetite. Moreover, both NRK and NRAs were associated with some socio-economic determinants, like financial situation, age, education, living area (for NRK), and country (for NRAs). Participants in the intervention group showed a better NRK (β = 0.367 [95% CI: 0.117; 0.617], p = 0.004) and more positive NRAs (β = 0.838 [95% CI: 0.318; 1.358], p = 0.002) than those in the control group. Higher self-evaluated knowledge was also significantly related to more positive NRAs (p < 0.001). The most popular sources of nutrition information were food labels, books and magazines on health, the dietitian and the doctor's office, although their importance varied significantly among countries, and, to a lesser extent, between women and men and between intervention and control group.Conclusion: Higher NRK and NRA scores were associated with lower BMI and higher physical activity level. Therefore, a good nutrition-related knowledge and positive nutrition-related attitudes can strongly and positively influence the health status and quality of life among the older population. These results offer a great opportunity for policy makers to implement educational programs in order to counteract the epidemic of obesity and to improve the health span of European population.

Purpose According to a study by European Commission, 88m tons of food waste are generated per year, of which 46.5m tons are wasted by households. Households still remain the main source of food waste (53 percent). The purpose of this paper is to estimate households’ food waste and wastage-related losses of energy and nutrients among middle school students as well as assess educational intervention regarding food waste prevention. Design/methodology/approach The study included 555 students from 11 schools in Poland. The study was conducted using the survey questionnaire and the three-day record of food waste. The interventional group filled a questionnaire before and after of education as well as after three months of intervention. Findings Students waste 23 g of food per day. The most wasted products are: potatoes, bread, fruits and vegetable as well as meet and ham. Energy losses from leftovers are less than 1–10 percent. Losses of nutritional value along with wastages were the highest for vitamin C, but also for dietary fiber, potassium and folate. Food waste education was nearly twice as strong in study group with films intervention, than those who received only a leaflet for parents. Research limitations/implications Middle school students are responsible for households’ food waste and contribute to energy and nutrition losses. Educational intervention is more effective, while using multimedia methods and need to be continued. Practical implications The paper is a scientific study and addressed to the scientific audience. However, due to the problem of households’ food waste, general public could be also interested. Social implications Food waste is an element of waste management. Studying the scale of food waste and waste related behavior can help to better understand causes of food waste. The search for ways to limit food waste, through education address to young people, can be an effective method of prevention of waste. The UN has established 17 new development goals for the years 2015–2030 (United Nations, 2015). One of them (Goal 12) is focused on ensuring sustainable consumption and production. It means halving food waste at the retail and consumer levels and food losses at the production and post-harvest stages by 2030. Originality/value There are few publications available about food waste including energy and nutrients waste. This study shows the scale of household waste, the quantity and type of wasted products and causes of disposal. Also, the way of handling with food waste at homes was examined. It is also important to draw attention to the responsibility of young people in wasting food, which was examined in the paper.

Diety alternatywne tym różnią się od tradycyjnych, że wykluczają lub ograniczają określony produkt lub produkty. Diety alternatywne na ogół mają obniżoną wartość energetyczną i są spożywane w celu odchudzania. Wartość energetyczna powinna być obniżona wyłącznie kosztem tłuszczów (przede wszystkim) i węglowodanów. Prawidłowo ułożone diety mają zapewnioną odpowiednią ilość białka, witamin, składników mineralnych i błonnika pokarmowego. W rzeczywistości często wartość energetyczna jest niższa niż deklarowana i za mało jest takich składników jak białko, witaminy (B1,B2, kwas foliowy, B12 i wit. D) składniki mineralne głownie wapń, Mg, Fe, Zn). Głównym źródłem informacji o dietach od kilku lat jest internet, przedtem były rodzina, koledzy oraz masmedia. Diety i informacje z internetu trzeba traktować  z dużym krytycyzmem. Słowa kluczowe: diety alternatywne, stosowanie diet, wartość odżywcza, źródła informacji

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the Questionnaire Eating Behaviours (QEB), developed by the Science Committee of Human Nutrition of the Polish Academy of Sciences, as an instrument to examine the opinions on food and nutrition and diet quality indicators in women in various age groups. Design/methodology/approach The study involved 161 healthy Polish women aged 18–92, divided into four age groups to assess the QEB questionnaire, as an instrument to examine the opinions on food and nutrition and diet quality indicators. Findings Women provided statistically significant responses to 40 per cent of the statements in the test. In the case of 60 per cent of responses proper answers increased with the age of the participant. Questionnaire determines that people whose opinions were more compliant with nutritional knowledge more often applied the principles of proper nutrition. Dependencies between the number of points from the test of opinions about food and nutrition and the Prohealthy-Diet-Index (pHDI-8) or the sum of points from the test and the Non-healthy-Diet-Index (nHDI-8) were indicated. People who obtained the higher pHDI-8 and the lower nHDI-8 coefficient better evaluated their diet. Originality/value The QEB questionnaire can be an effective, quick and cheap instrument recommended to examine the association between the opinion about food and nutrition and the quality of diet of people at various ages and useful in determining the directions of further education and improvement in the quality of diet, including its assessment in large population groups.