A systematic review of methods to assess intake of saturated fat (SF) among healthy European adults and children: a DEDIPAC (Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity) study

Total Mercury and Fatty Acids in Selected Fish Species on the Polish Market: A Risk to Human Health

The muscles of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush Walbaum, 1792), crucian carp (Carassius carassius Linnaeus, 1758), flounder (Platichthys flesus Linnaeus, 1758), gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758), mackerel (Scomber scombrus Linnaeus, 1758) and tench (Tinca tinca Linnaeus, 1758) were examined. The total mercury (THg) was processed using the Milestone DMA-80 and the fatty acids were analyzed using the 7890A Agilent Technologies chromatograph. The THg content in analyzed fish ranged from 0.024 (lake trout) to 0.092 mg/kg wet weight (gilthead seabream). The muscles of fish examined had lower amounts of SFAs, and n-3 and n-6 PUFAs than MUFAs. The ratio of n-3/n-6 was higher in muscles of mackerel than other fish (p < 0.05). Due to the fact that both the THQ and HI are below 1, the tested fish are safe for the consumer from a nutritional point of view. Similarly, fatty acid indices indicate the safe consumption of selected fish species, and the daily consumption of the recommended dose of EPA + DHA (250 mg/day) and the concentration of mercury in fish calculations showed a hazard quotient for the benefit−risk ratio HQEFA below 1, suggesting that the intake of EPA + DHA poses no evident risk to human health. The ratio was calculated for a person weighing 60 kg. Therefore, it is important to monitor the fish, not only bought in the store, but also caught in various aquatic environments.

The questionnaire design process in the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU)

BACKGROUND

Designing questionnaires is a key point of epidemiological studies assessing human exposure to chemicals. The lack of validated questionnaires can lead to the use of previously developed and sub-optimally adapted questionnaires, which may result in information biases that affect the study's validity. On this ground, a multidisciplinary group of researchers developed a series of tools to support data collection within the HBM4EU initiative. The objective of this paper is to share the process of developing HBM4EU questionnaires, as well as to provide researchers with harmonized procedures that could help them to design future questionnaires to assess environmental exposures.

METHODS

In the frame of the work package on survey design and fieldwork of the HBM4EU, researchers carried out procedures necessary for the development of quality questionnaires and related data collection tools. These procedures consisted of a systematic search to identify questionnaires used in previous human biomonitoring (HBM) studies, as well as the development of a checklist and evaluation sheet to assess the questionnaires identified. The results of these evaluations were taken into consideration for the development of the final questionnaires.

RESULTS

The main points covered by each of the sections included in HBM4EU questionnaires are described and discussed in detail. Additional tools developed for data collection in the HBM4EU (e.g. non-responder questionnaire, satisfaction questionnaire, matrix-specific questionnaire) are also addressed. Special attention is paid to the limitations faced and hurdles overcome during the process of questionnaire development.

CONCLUSIONS

Designing questionnaires for use in HBM studies requires substantial effort by a multidisciplinary team to guarantee that the quality of the information collected meets the study's objectives. The process of questionnaire development described herein will contribute to improve the harmonization of HBM studies within the social and environmental context of the EU countries.

The effect of a nutrition education intervention on knowledge, attitude, and intake of foods high in fats in women

BACKGROUND

Given that many Iranian were interested in the consumption of foods that are high in fats, the present study was done to determine the effect of a nutrition education intervention on knowledge, attitude, and intake of foods high in fat among a sample of women in Tehran.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this quasi-experimental study, 92 female referrals to the health houses affiliated to Tehran municipal were selected and assigned to either intervention (n = 46) or control (n = 46) groups. Information (data) regarding women's knowledge, attitude, and practice in terms of foods rich in fat intake was collected by three questionnaires. Then, a nutrition education intervention included four 40-60 min training sessions over 4 weeks was designed and conducted to the study participants in the intervention group. Two groups were followed up 2 months after the intervention. Finally, all data were analyzed by using the independent-samples t-tests, Student's paired-samples t-test, and Pearson correlation analysis on the R software (version 6.3.2).

RESULTS

The results showed that there were significant reductions in a positive attitude towards food with high fat content and intake of these foods in the intervention group compared with the control group after the intervention (P < 0.001). Furthermore, following the intervention, the intervention group reported a significant increase in dietary fat nutrition knowledge than the control group (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Developing nutrition education interventions is an effective strategy for reducing the consumption of foods rich in fat in Iranian women.