Romanian knowledge and attitudes regarding dietary fibers

Abstract

Presently, the scientists recognize the health benefits of food fibers in the menu and also plant food sources are at high interest both for general population and food companies. The food companies are responsible for a clear nutrition labelling that will assist consumers to make informed and healthy choices and health providers has to inform the population about the benefits of fibers.The aim of our study was to evaluate the Romanian knowledge and attitudes regarding dietary fibers from food products. We made a qualitative survey based on a questionnaire applied in 2015, over a period of 6 months, over 670 Romanian consumers. It was focused on testing the attitudes and knowledge towards ingestion of foods rich in fibers. For all data analysis we used the software SPSS, from IBM Inc.Our results showed that the knowledge about dietary fibers and also the ingestion of food products rich in fibers were low, and most of the subjects didn't have any interest to read the nutritional information from food labels. The female participants ate more whole grains and fruits than males and pay more attention to food labelling. Romanian people prefer to stay and eat home than at restaurants especially in rural areas, and the knowledge about fibers benefits was significantly related to education and urban location. We underline the needs for more efficient community interventions and proper information about the importance of dietary fibers for our health and also to improve and disseminate nutritional standards and diet recommendation among population.

Eating Behaviour and Food Preferences of Tîrgu Mures High School Students

“…Girls are more concerned with their body image, and increased obesity and overweight in industrialized countries have led to increased dissatisfaction with their bodies. There is a significant downward trend of breakfast eating among pupils from the ages of 11 to 13 years with only 55.5% of students taking breakfast, 63.2% consuming lunch, and 56.7% having dinner on a regular basis [10][11][12]. A similar trend was reported in the current study.…”

“…In agreement with similar recent studies, teenagers are not interested in the information on food labels, and they do not count foods calories. Contrarily, they are receptive to lectures, competitions, applications regarding proper diet and weight maintaining methods [11][12][13][14].…”

Awareness and Knowledge Regarding the Consumption of Dietary Fiber and Its Relation to Self-Reported Health Status in an Adult Arab Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Females seem to be more aware of the relation between dietary fiber consumption and prevention of metabolic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and overall health status (Table 3). This is in line with study of Tarcea et al [23] which demonstrated more females than males responding correctly to the favorable role of fiber in cardiovascular safety, regulating blood sugar, reducing risk for obesity, etc. This supports our results, which may mainly be attributed to the greater involvement of females in food choice for their family [32] and a greater care for their own appearance [33].…”

“…The study reported that the knowledge of fiber consumption varied depending on age, gender, education level, and location (rural versus urban) [22]. Similar results from Romania demonstrated the vital role of knowledge, information and community intervention regarding fiber intake and its role in health status [23]. Thus, nutrition education and health awareness programs are preferred choices to educate societies to develop proper dietary habits.…”