Nutrient Intake and Food Use of Finnish Conscripts in Garrison, on Leave, and in Encampment Conditions

Bingham, Clarissa; Ovaskainen, Marja-Leena; Tapanainen, Heli; Lahti-Koski, Marjaana; Sahi, Timo; Paturi, Merja

doi:10.7205/milmed-d-03-9208

Cited by 16 publications

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“…Its adaptation for our study of young men is not feasible because of our population's homogeneous sex, age and situation-of-life structure. Also, the indices used here were formed based on previous dietary knowledge of a resembling population (25) . Vereecken et al (52) found food indices to correlate with food diary results although overestimation needs to be considered when assessing consumption frequencies from an FFQ.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food choices and health during military service: increases in sugar- and fibre-containing foods and changes in anthropometric and clinical risk factors

Bingham

Lahti-Koski

Absetz

et al. 2011

Public Health Nutr.

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Objective: To analyse changes in food choices, diet-related risk factors and their association during 6 months of military service. Design: Longitudinal cohort study in Finland, where all men are liable to military service and a clear majority of each age group completes service. Dietary intake data were collected by self-administered questionnaire before and at 6 months of service. Three dietary indices based on food frequencies were developed to characterize the diet: Sugar Index, Fibre Index and Fat Index. Thirteen dietrelated risk factors were measured at the beginning and at 6 months of service. Setting: Military environment, two geographically distinct garrisons. Subjects: Male conscripts aged 18-21 years (n 256) performing military service. Results: During 6 months of service, positive changes concerned more frequent use of fibre-rich foods (P 5 0?011), improved body composition (BMI, waist circumference, muscle mass, fat mass and percentage body fat, P # 0?003 for all), decreased systolic blood pressure and increased HDL cholesterol (P , 0?001 for both). Negative changes concerned more frequent use of sugar-rich foods and increased total cholesterol, TAG and blood glucose (P , 0?001 for all). The consumption of fibre-rich foods was inversely associated with anthropometric risk factors at baseline and with sugar-rich foods at both time points. Conclusions: Despite more frequent consumption of sweet foods, military service with a unified, nutritionally planned diet, a controlled environment and high physical load has a positive effect on conscripts' health risk factors. The negative changes in blood lipids and glucose may reflect more varied free-time eating. Keywords Food habits Food intake Risk factors Health status indicators MilitaryPublic health interest in chronic diseases during past decades has concentrated mainly on CVD and their associations with diet (1)(2)(3)(4) . This focus has remained to the present (5-7) although the dietary factors of interest have varied in time. High importance has been given to the association between CVD risk factors and fat, especially saturated fat (3,4,8) regarding which considerable dietary improvements have taken place in Finland. Proportions of both total and saturated fat have decreased, as has consumption of foods high in them (5,6,9) . Also other dietary factors have been successfully addressed with a simultaneous decrease in CVD risk factors. Examples of this are increased fruit and vegetable consumption and decreased sodium intake (5-7) .More recently emphasis has been put on the association between sugar and CVD with its risk factors (10)(11)(12) .Attention has been paid to dietary sugars in general and to sugar-sweetened beverages (10,12,13) . Evidence exists for an association between the consumption of added sugars and CHD among men (13) . More precisely, the relationship may be connected to the current prevalent consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages such as soft drinks (10)(11)(12) . Also, Bremer et al. (14) found adolescents' increased consu...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food choices and health during military service: increases in sugar- and fibre-containing foods and changes in anthropometric and clinical risk factors

Bingham

Lahti-Koski

Absetz

et al. 2011

Public Health Nutr.

Self Cite

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“…This food is planned and prepared according to particular military nutrition recommendations for conscripts. It is calculated to cover nutritional requirements of service and offers a varied diet [11]. The menu of the refectories is fixed: lunch and dinner contain one main dish served with fresh or cooked vegetables.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In general, Finnish conscripts’ intakes of energy-yielding nutrients are close to recommendations [7,11]. Still before military service, only 13% of young men consumed daily vegetables and as few as 8% fruits and berries [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Still before military service, only 13% of young men consumed daily vegetables and as few as 8% fruits and berries [12]. In service, choices for energy-rich, nutrient-poor foods, such as pizza and soft drinks, prevail [11]. Consumptions of sweet foods, i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Complete freedom of dietary choices is unfeasible although some individual selection is possible in free-time. Soldiers are offered regular nutritionally-planned main meals [11] in a structured environment which offers a good setting for intervening. To our knowledge there have been only a few interventions targeting eating habits and obesity in military populations [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of a healthy food supply intervention in a military setting: positive changes in cereal, fat and sugar containing foods

Bingham

Lahti-Koski

Puukka

et al. 2012

Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act

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BackgroundIn Finland, all men are liable to military service and a clear majority completes service. The increasing prevalence of obesity also among soldiers concerns conscripts’ food choices. Conscripts are served nutritionally planned regular main meals but individual choices take place in free-time eating. This study assesses the effects in conscripts’ eating habits in an intervention targeting the supply of healthy foods available in the military setting.MethodsParticipants were 604 18-21-year old male conscripts of whom 242 belonged to Control Group and 362 to Intervention Group. Participants of Control Group were historical controls performing military service one year before Intervention Group. The intervention targeted selection, placement, and attractiveness of healthy foods in garrison refectories and soldier’s home cafeterias, the two main food providers in the military. Dietary intake data was collected by self-administered questionnaire at three time points: before/beginning of military service (T0), 8 weeks (T1) and 6 months (T2) of military service. Outcome measures were food consumption frequencies and four dietary indexes (Cereal Index, Fruit and Vegetable Index, Fat Index and Sugar Index) developed to characterize the diet. Changes between study groups in outcome variables and in time were analysed by repeated-measures analysis of covariance.ResultsSignificant (p < 0.05) intervention effects and time-intervention interactions mostly in favor of Intervention Group were found. In Intervention Group, Cereal Index was significantly higher at T2 and the overall level of porridges and cereals was higher during follow-up when comparing to Control Group. Also, the overall levels of Fat Index, potato chips, soft drinks and desserts as well as sweet pastries at T1 were significantly lower in Intervention Group. At the same time, Fruit and Vegetable Index and the level of fruit and berries were lower in Intervention Group during follow-up.ConclusionsIn the military setting, healthier food choices can be promoted by intervening on the main food environments by improving the supply of healthy foods. However, impacting on conscripts’ individual selection as fruit and vegetable consumption is more challenging.

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Why Do People High in Self-Control Eat More Healthily? Social Cognitions as Mediators

et al. 2013

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Nutrient Intake and Food Use of Finnish Conscripts in Garrison, on Leave, and in Encampment Conditions

Abstract: At garrison and encampment, nutrient intakes reached recommendations. In free time, conscripts favored energy-rich nutrient-poor foods, which warrants intervening and dietary education.

Cited by 16 publications

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Food choices and health during military service: increases in sugar- and fibre-containing foods and changes in anthropometric and clinical risk factors

Food choices and health during military service: increases in sugar- and fibre-containing foods and changes in anthropometric and clinical risk factors

Effects of a healthy food supply intervention in a military setting: positive changes in cereal, fat and sugar containing foods

Why Do People High in Self-Control Eat More Healthily? Social Cognitions as Mediators

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