Actividad Dietética最新文献

Introduction

There is a lack of data on how information, attitudes, perceptions and personal beliefs can affect eating behaviour.

Objective

To obtain data on the perception, information, beliefs and attitudes of the female population on general health, caring for the body, food and slimming diets through a telephone survey.

Methods

An observational and epidemiological transversal study carried out through a unique telephone interview, assisted by a computer (Computer Aided Telephone Interviewing [CATI]), done on a random sample of the female population from all over Spain. The survey had 36 questions drawn up jointly by the Revision, Study and Positioning Group of the Spanish Association of Dieticians-Nutritionists (GREP-AEDN) and the Department of Nutrition and Regulations of the company Danone S.A., and aimed at obtaining data on this population's perception, information, beliefs and attitudes on general health, caring for the body, food and slimming diets. The women surveyed answered the questionnaire voluntarily, and in no case was the truth of the replies they offered checked (even those that may seem objective).

Results

3,012 telephone surveys were done on women from all the autonomous regions. It is seen that, as the age of the population increases, the amount of overweight and obesity increases, and the highest rate of weight below normal is found in the younger population. Although 80% of the women say that they are happy with their weight, as the overweight increases, the tendency to “resign themselves” and “to be concerned” about their weight increases. Although most of the women surveyed, regardless of their age, state that they take care of themselves for health reasons, the younger and slimmer the woman is, the more she tends to take care of herself for aesthetic reasons. Physical exercise and a balanced diet are the strategies that are reported most for taking care of health and for reducing weight. Also, 8 out of every 10 women agree that less fat should be eaten and 6 out of every 10 agree that a low-calorie diet should be followed. More than 10% of the population believes that it may have a nutritional deficit, 50% believes that nutrients are lost when a low-calorie diet is followed and, as the age and the BMI increase, the tendency to think that there may be a nutritional deficit increases. The data were analysed using the SAS 9.1.3 statistical package.

Conclusions

There is a relation between self-perception, information or social beliefs about food and health, and the attitude or individual eating behaviour. The study of these relationships can help health professionals make better decisions affecting the public health field.

Stearic acid (SA), the second most consumed saturated fatty acid (SFA) in the West, is a clear candidate for replacing the trans fatty acids (TFAs) in many processed foods. This would lead to an unprecedented increase in its intake, the effect of which on health is unknown. This is why the Revision, Study and Positioning Group of the Spanish Association of Dieticians-Nutritionists (GREP-AEDN) has gone through the scientific literature which allows it to assess the overall effect of the intake of SA on the lipid profile and on cardiovascular health. Through what is explained in this document, the GREP-AEDN does not consider it reasonable to encourage a considerable increase in the consumption of SA, in spite of its apparent advantages with respect to other SFAs, due to its potential contribution to diabetes and to the little, ambiguous information that exists on the consequences that eating a high amount of SA on a long-term basis can have on certain cardiovascular risk markers.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents is still too high and represents a pool of latent morbidity. Data from Spain reveal an alarming increase in the prevalence of obesity in children and youth. Treatment of obesity seems easy, that is, just advice children and their families to eat less and to exercise more. In practice, however, treatment of childhood obesity is time-consuming, frustrating, difficult, and expensive.

According to evidence, what seems to be the most successful approach is intensive lifestyle modification that includes guidance on dietary aspects, food-related factors, physical activity, and behavioral strategies. Family support is of utmost importance. All of these considerations are essential for developing and implementing preventive measures specifically directed toward children and adolescents.

The different types and characteristics of products meant for maternal nursing registered in Spain during the period 1919-1935 are analysed, in accordance with the provisions made in the “Regulations for preparing and selling pharmaceutical specialities”. With respect to the type of products, the group corresponding to “condensed milks” (56%) and the very small amount of continuation preparations present (flours with milk and such like) stand out. The results also show a high percentage of specialities that belong to and are prepared by foreign countries (approx. 50%).

The recommendation on the use of “special foods for diabetics” is discussed. Whether it is due to their reduced energy contribution, their reduced fat content, replacing sugars with low calorie sweeteners or the like, or replacing certain sugars with others with a lower glycaemic index, the use of these “special foods for diabetics” is not justified except when they are contemplated within the framework of a balanced, varied and healthy diet.

A healthy, balanced diet, treatment with insulin and physical activity are essential issues for keeping a stable control of glycaemia in people with diabetes mellitus type 1 (T1DM) and to allow children who suffer from it to grow at a speed considered normal. Diabetological education is what conveys knowledge on the disease and the treatment for patients with T1DM and their families for them to acquire sufficient skills and a proper attitude to handle the treatment and its possible complications well, especially at the childhood stage. A 10 year-old patient has the glycaemia poorly controlled (glycosylated haemoglobin, HbA_1c > 8% and pre-prandial capillary glycaemia tests at above 180 mg/dL) and may have stopped increasing in height and weight. After the diabetological re-education, and a change in the food and insulin plan, satisfactory improvements are seen after 3 months with regards to the metabolic control of the disease (HbA_1c < 8% and pre-prandial glycaemia tests) and a pondero-statural growth rate is re-established which is comparable to the average of the population of this age group. In short, the educational intervention has allowed the food plan and the insulin dosage to be improved and adapted to the child's age and psychosocial needs, allowing the disease to be better controlled metabolically and the pondero-statural development to be improved.