Poor eating habits are increasing the prevalence of weight-related issues, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Given the demand to improve individuals’ food knowledge and competencies aiming at healthier behaviours, the current investigation explores the concept of food literacy. Considering the lack of a shared understanding of food literacy, this study aims to explore food literacy’s domains, influential factors and determinants. Using a qualitative deductive-dominant content analysis, 30 experts from food-related fields were interviewed. The obtained outcomes were compared to available food literacy frameworks. Agreement among inter-raters was nearly perfect (k = 0.82). Yielding a total of 184 codes nested within 19 categories, identified domains were Origin, Safety, Choice and Decision, Select and Acquire, Plan, Preserve, Prepare, Cook, and Knowledge; influential factors included Nutrition, Psychological, Health, Learning Contexts, Policy, Industry, Sustainability, and Social and Cultural; External determinants were “Access to Food-Related Information”, “Perishable and/or Unreliable Food-Related Information”, “Family Dynamic and/or Identity”, and “Professionals’ Unpreparedness on Food-Related Expertise”, and Internal determinants included “Prioritise Food”, “Convenience and Practicality”, “Time and Financial Management”, “Previous Food-Related Habits”, and “Innate and Learned Flavour Preferences”. In conclusion, more than half of the identified attributes (62.5%) are corroborated by the current literature. However, the manifested content unmatched with the current frameworks of food literacy literature express food-literacy-related fields of action, knowledge, competencies, and determinants that have not yet been explored. As such, this study provides new and useful information concerning food literacy definition and development, by identifying its domains, factors of influence, and potential determinants. Moreover, this work paves the way for new measurements and interventions within this field.

a b s t r a c tObjective: Hormonal changes during menopausal transition are linked to physical and psychological symptoms' emergence. This study aims to explore if life events predict menopausal symptoms. Methods: This cross-sectional research encompasses a community sample of 992 women who answered to socio-demographic, health, menopause-related and lifestyle questionnaires; menopausal symptoms and life events were assessed with validated instruments. Structural equation modeling was used to build a causal model. Conclusions: Although women in peri-and post-menopausal manifested higher symptoms' severity than their pre-menopausal counterparts, only three of the menopausal symptoms assessed were predicted by menopausal status. Since the vast majority of menopausal symptoms' severity was significantly influenced by the way women perceived their recent life events, it is concluded that the symptomatology exacerbation, in peri-and post-menopausal women, might be due to life conditions and events, rather than hormonal changes (nonetheless, the inverse influence should be investigated in future studies). Therefore, these should be accounted for in menopause-related clinical and research settings.

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Pursuing food systems' sustainability is crucial. Given the risk constituted by unhealthy diets, scarce research on food-related adjacent fields, and inconsistency across food literacy conceptualizations, this study aims to explore the constructs' definition and develop a conceptual and empirical framework of food literacy. A quantitative approach was taken on previously obtained qualitative outcomes from 30 interviews with experts from food-related fields. Food literacy was defined by a four-dimension model: Cooking Skills, Preserve and Analyse, Choice and Acquisition, Search and Plan. The framework Food Literacy Wheel integrates the construct definition, food literacy determinants (Internal, External) and influential factors (Nutritional, Psychological, Health, Learning Contexts, Policy, Industry, Sustainability, Social and Cultural). Allowing a broader perspective of food literacy within major food systems, this study contributes with new insights for future instruments and interventions, paving the way to develop/implement food literacy-related multi-sectorial and multilevel actions.

The objectives of this study were to develop a unified Portuguese-language version, for use in Brazil and Portugal, of the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) and to estimate its validity, reliability, and internal consistency in Brazilian and Portuguese female university students. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed using both original (34-item) and shortened (8-item) versions. The model's fit was assessed with χ²/df, CFI, NFI, and RMSEA. Concurrent and convergent validity were assessed. Reliability was estimated through internal consistency and composite reliability (α). Transnational invariance of the BSQ was tested using multi-group analysis. The original 32-item model was refined to present a better fit and adequate validity and reliability. The shortened model was stable in both independent samples and in transnational samples (Brazil and Portugal). The use of this unified version is recommended for the assessment of body shape concerns in both Brazilian and Portuguese college students.

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ObjectiveCognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has proven to be effective in weight reduction. This study explores whether individual, 8-session CBT can promote weight loss in midlife women.MethodsAnthropometric (weight, abdominal perimeter, and body mass index calculation), psychological (health-related and sexual quality of life, stress, anxiety, and depression), and behavioral measures (binge eating disorder and restrained, external, and emotional eating) were assessed at baseline (T1), posttreatment (T2), and 4-month follow-up (T3), for a total of 21 women at baseline; the CBT group (n = 11) and the control group (n = 10; waiting list) were compared.ResultsStatistically significant effects that were dependent on the intervention were observed on weight (F = 4.402; P = 0.035; ηp2 = 0.404; π = 0.652) and body mass index (F = 3.804; P = 0.050; ηp2 = 0.369; π = 0.585); furthermore, marginally significant effects were observed on external eating (F = 2.844; P = 0.095; ηp2 = 0.304; π = 0.461). At follow-up, women in the CBT group presented with lower weight, abdominal perimeter, body mass index, and external eating; higher health-related quality-of-life and restrained eating were also observed in this group. Most differences identified were at a marginally significant level. Moreover, at follow-up, none of the participants of the CBT group met the criteria for binge eating disorder, whereas the number of women with binge eating disorder in the control group remained the same through all three assessments.ConclusionAn effective, though small, weight loss was achieved. Changes in quality of life were also observed. Moreover, changes in external eating behavior were successful.

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