[CITY VS. COUNTRYSIDE: WHERE DO YOU EAT BEST AND HEALTHIEST?]

INTRODUCTION

bearing in mind the influence of the environment on the individuals and their choices and behaviours in general and particularly with respect to food, it might be interesting to explore whether eating habits are better or healthier in rural areas than in urban ones.

OBJECTIVE

to analyse the perception of the level in which eating habits could be considered better or worse, more or less healthy, in rural and urban areas.

METHOD

281 students (18.37 ± 6.28 years) volunteered participated in the study completing an ad hoc questionnaire designed to measure the characteristics attributed by the participants to the rural and urban eating habits.

RESULTS

49.50% of the participants considered that food is better in rural areas, 8.50% in urban contexts and 42% equally in both rural and urban areas; 80.42% responded that food is healthier in rural areas and 19.57% in urban areas. In addition, 85.10% of the participants coming from rural families considered that food is healthier in the country and the same applies to 75.80% coming from urban families.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

the perception about what is healthy is not uniform. From a general point of view it seems that eating better is not the same than eating healthier. The idea of eating better not always is synonymous of eating healthy from a medical-nutritional point of view. This difference could make it difficult to spread the idea of a healthy way of eating to the general population.

Induction of food craving experience: the role of mental imagery, dietary restraint, mood and coping strategies

INTRODUCTION

Food craving consists of a strong motivational state whereby a person is driven to seek and ingest a specifically desired food.

OBJECTIVES

To explore the influence of mental imagery on the food craving experience as well as to analyse the role of different psychological variables.

METHODS

Participants consisted of 65 normal weight undergraduate students. An experimental induction of food craving was analysed considering the actual previous craving and the induced one as a state food craving. Measures of trait food craving, imaging ability, dietary restraint, anxiety, depression, and coping strategies were considered.

RESULTS

Sweet foods in general and chocolate in particular were the most craved foods. During the induction thoughts and images were the most highly rated triggers, and all the different sensory modalities were involved. Anxiety, depression, and negative coping strategies influenced the results with regards to the food craving.

DISCUSSION

This study confirms the role of mental imagery, the correlation between state and trait food craving, and the influence of different psychological variables on the food craving.

Interactions between antihypertensive drugs and food

OBJECTIVE

A drug interaction is defined as any alteration, pharmacokinetics and/or pharmacodynamics, produced by different substances, other drug treatments, dietary factors and habits such as drinking and smoking. These interactions can affect the antihypertensive drugs, altering their therapeutic efficacy and causing toxic effects. The aim of this study was to conduct a review of available data about interactions between antihypertensive agents and food.

METHODS

The purpose of this review was to report an update of main findings with respect to the interactions between food and antihypertensive drugs by way of a search conducted in PubMed, which yielded a total of 236 articles initially.

RESULTS

After excluding different articles, which were not focusing on the specific objective, the main results refer to interactions between antihypertensive drugs and food (in general) as well as between antihypertensive agents and grapefruit juice.

DISCUSSION

Food may affect the bioavailability of antihypertensive drugs and this should be carefully considered. Advising patients to remove the grapefruit juice from their diet when treatment with these drugs seems to be the best recommendation. Given these interactions and the associated potential adverse effects the anamnesis must include detailed information about the specific eating habits of the patients.

Interactions between antiarrhythmic drugs and food

OBJECTIVE

A drug interaction is defined as any alteration, pharmacokinetics and/or pharmacodynamics, produced by different substances, other drug treatments, dietary factors and habits such as drinking and smoking. These interactions can affect the antiarrhythmic drugs, altering their therapeutic efficacy and adverse effects. The aim of this study was to conduct a review of available data about interactions between antiarrhythmic drugs and food.

METHODS

The purpose of this review was to report an update of the existing literature data on the main findings with respect to food and antiarrhythmic drugs interactions by means of a search conducted in PubMed, which yielded a total of 250 articles initially.

RESULTS

After excluding different articles which were not focusing on the specific objective, the main results refer to interactions among antiarrhythmic drugs and food in general, grapefruit juice, and others like fibre or medicinal plants.

DISCUSSION

Food may affect the bioavailability of antiarrhythmic drugs and in some specific cases (dairy products, rich-in-protein diets, grapefruit juice), this should be carefully considered. The best recommendation seems to advise patients to remove the grapefruit juice from their diet when treatment with these drugs. Fibre should be separated from taking these drugs and regarding medicinal plants and given their increased use, the anamnesis must include information about its use, the reason for that use and what types of plants are used, all in order to give the corresponding recommendations.

Food choices coping strategies of eating disorder patients' parents: what happens when both mother and father work?

OBJECTIVE

Recently, it has been reported that food choices of relatives of eating disorder (ED) patients are not adequate having in mind a healthy model of eating habits. The aim of this study was to analyse how work conditions relate to parents' food choice coping strategies in both families with a member suffering from an ED and families with no sick members. In addition, the differences in those strategies between the two types of working parents were studied.

METHODS

A total of 80 employed fathers (n = 27) and mothers (n = 53) of patients with an ED (n =50) and healthy offsprings (n = 30) were interviewed. The mean age was 43.57 ± 5.69 and they had moderate incomes. Food choice coping strategies, used by working parents to integrate work and family demands, were measured by means of 22 items included in five categories.

RESULTS

Considering the food choice coping strategies, ED patients' relatives show better skills than relatives of healthy offsprings do. The fact of preparing more meals at home and less fast food as main meal are good examples of those better strategies as well as to miss less number of breakfasts and lunches because of work-family conflict, grabbing less frequently and overeat less after missing a meal.

DISCUSSION

The therapeutic effort to improve the food choices of ED patients' relatives, especially when both father and mother work, are a key point to improve the eating habits of ED patients, thus contributing to a better outcome.

Spanish version of the Thought-Action Fusion Questionnaire and its application in eating disorders

Purpose

The aims of the study were to analyze the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Thought-Action Fusion Questionnaire (TAF-SP), as well as to determine its validity by evaluating the relationship of the TAF-SP to different instruments.

Patients and methods

Two groups were studied: one comprising 146 patients with eating disorders; and another a group of 200 students.

Results

Three factors were obtained: TAF–Moral; TAF–Likelihood-others; and TAF–Likelihood-oneself. The internal consistency of the TAF-SP was determined by means of Cronbach’s α coefficient, with values ranging between 0.84–0.95. The correlations with other instruments refected adequate validity. The three-factor structure was tested by means of a linear structural equation model, and the structure fit satisfactorily. Differences in TAF-SP scores between the diagnostic subgroups were also analyzed.

Conclusion

The TAF-SP meets the psychometric requirements for measuring thought-action fusion and shows adequate internal consistency and validity.

Does the opinion of the therapeutic team match with psychometric measures during the course of eating disorders?

INTRODUCTION

Is there a group of psychometric variables, which correlates with the criteria of an interdisciplinary team about the course of ED?

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to analyse the correlation between the clinic criteria of an interdisciplinary team with respect to the course of eating disorders (ED) and different psychometric criteria.

METHODS

The course was analysed in a final sample of 30 ED outpatients during their six first months of treatment. A scale of clinical criteria of the course of ED (therapeutic team's opinion) and different questionnaires on psychological, psychopathological and eating-related variables were used. The statistical analysis comprised of a discriminant analysis in order to find the variables with a discriminant function to distinguish between a fair-bad course and a good course.

RESULTS

Perceived stress, self-esteem, the variables of the SCL-90-R, depression, thought-shape fusion, anxiety, food craving and the score on body shape questionnaire were found to have discriminant function. Comparing the therapeutic team's criteria and the results of the questionnaires a 10% of patients were misclassified.

DISCUSSION

The results highlight the necessary and permanent checking of the relationship among the clinical criteria regarding the course of ED (members' team opinion) and different psychological, psychopathological and eating-related variables.

[Salivary cortisol as a measure of stress during a nutrition education program in adolescents]

OBJECTIVES

To analyse the stress level at different academic times, by measuring salivary cortisol and assessing the influence of the stress level on the effectiveness of a nutrition education program for adolescents.

METHODS

Salivary cortisol of 42 compulsory secondary education students was determined (morning and evening) at the beginning of the course and in the time prior to final exams. A nutrition education program was developed during the course and food consumption data were collected by means of a food frequency questionnaire in both initial and final moments. In addition, the body mass index was determined.

RESULTS

The initial morning cortisol level was lower with respect to the final morning level (P < 0.05), with higher levels in females (P < 0.05). In the final determination, the morning cortisol was also higher in girls (P < 0.01). There were no significant changes in body mass index. 23.8% of students referred fewer consumption of carbonated beverages after the intervention program, while 28.57% reported having breakfast before leaving home. A reduction in the consumption of fruit at the end of the study was observed.

DISCUSSION

To properly assess whether the observed changes are related to the nutrition education program or with the stressful situation due to the proximity of the exams, which would imply an increase in the intake, more studies would be necessary at the different stages of the course.

What motivates the consumer's food choice?

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to analyse the psychometric properties of the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) in Spanish population (FCQ-SP), its factor structure and internal consistency. In addition, the relationships between the FCQ-SP and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), the Irrational Food Beliefs Scale (IFBS), and the Eating Disorders Inventory-3 (EDI-3) were analysed in order to explore the validity of the FCQSP. Possible gender differences in the food choice pattern were analysed.

METHODS

The sample comprised 255 women and 50 men, ranged from 25 to 64 years. In order to get a better interpretation of the results associated with changes based on the age, the participants were grouped in four age intervals (25-34, 35-44, 45-54, and 55-64). All the participants were relatives of secondary and high school students in three schools of Seville and Cordoba.

RESULTS

The factor analysis yields the seven following factors: mood, health and natural content, sensory appeal, weight control, convenience, familiarity, and price. The internal consistency was determined by means of the Cronbach's α coefficients, which ranged from 0.70 to 0.83 for the different components. With regards to the food choice profile, sensory appeal was the most motivating factor to choose food, followed by price and weight control. With respect to gender differences, women showed higher scores than men in all components except in the case of price.

DISCUSSION

The FCQ-SP has adequate psychometric properties to be applied to Spanish population, and it is useful to explore the consumers' motivation with regards to food choice.

Two methods to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in 8-9 year-old-children in Seville, Spain

OBJECTIVE

The prevalence of overweight and obesity in Spanish children has increased considerably in the last decades. Obesity has been recognized as a public health problem in developed countries because its association with increased risk for several pathologies. Obesity in children and, specifically, in adolescents, is a major concern. Actually, in Spain, the prevalence rates of childhood overweight and obesity are among the highest in European countries. The objective of this study was to measure the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children from Seville.

METHOD

A cross-sectional study was performed on 990 children, aged 8-9 years old (51.5% 8-year old and 48.5% 9-year old). Overweight and obesity were defined according to two methods: Spanish standards, applying the criterion of BMI-specific percentiles for age and sex, and the international standards established by Cole et al. (IOTF).

RESULTS

A high prevalence of overweight (11%) and obesity (22%) was observed. The prevalence of obesity as well as the prevalence of overall excess weight was significantly higher in 9-year old children (28% and 41%, respectively) than in 8-year old children (17% and 27%, respectively).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of overweight and obesity among Sevillian school children is high, and increases in the studied range of age.