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Background and Objectives: Numerous traditional and innovative approaches have been employed to understand and evaluate children's food preferences and food and nutrition knowledge, recognizing their essential role in shaping good nutrition. Drawing as a projective technique allows children to express their unconscious thoughts and preferences through visual representation, distinguishing it from other methods by providing an insight into their inner feelings and perceptions that may not be easily articulated through verbal techniques. The main goals of the study are to use drawing as a projective technique to gain insights into children's food preferences, and to examine the children's current nutrition knowledge and dietary perceptions. Methods: This study involved school-aged children from four public schools in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, who met the inclusion criteria and provided parental consent and the children's permission. Data collection included (a) questionnaires to measure food group and food frequency knowledge, the children's opinions on food healthiness and likability, and (b) a drawing activity as a projective technique. The questionnaire scores and the specific foods on the children's drawings were entered into an electronic worksheet and analyzed quantitatively. Results: The majority of Filipino school-aged children have a low (50%) to average (43%) level of food group knowledge and an average (62%) to low (32%) level of food frequency knowledge. The children can identify the healthiness of the food, but they express a liking for both healthy and unhealthy options. The children's drawings showed a low preference for Glow food groups, including fruits and vegetables (47%), as compared to Grow foods (94%), Beverages (89%), and Go foods (85%) groups. "Rice and Egg", the most paired items, indicated a preference among Filipino children. Gender-based analysis showed girls favored "Ice Cream", "Bread", "Apple", and "Oranges" more than boys, but there were no significant gender differences found in Grow food group preferences. Conclusions: Children's drawings are an effective, valuable complementary tool for understanding children's food preferences, displaying the value of creative methods in gaining unique insights. The results highlight specific gaps in knowledge, such as the need for a better understanding of food groups and the importance of fruits and vegetables among children. Addressing these gaps in educational programs could enhance children's food knowledge and encourage healthier dietary choices. Nutrition education programs might use interactive activities focused on food groups and emphasize the benefits of fruits and vegetables to promote better dietary habits for the improvement of children's long-term health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the eating practices and habits that have been resituated, transmitted, and negotiated in the specific migratory context of Chicago’s Mexican neighborhoods. I focus primarily on commercial urban spaces offering Mexican food. For while the importance of the domestic sphere in migrant food socialization has been widely analyzed, the complementary role of commercial food sites in the “ethnicized” urban public space has received less attention. This article seeks to demonstrate the key socializing role of such places (businesses, restaurants and certain social venues in the city), as part of what those surveyed refer to as “life in Spanish.” On this basis, we test the hypothesis of public production of corporalities, identities, and sensitive experiences of food transmission in the commercial migrant space, without suggesting that “domestic” food patterns are “superior,” more “authentic,” or “legitimate” than culinary practices in commercial locations. To this end, different circles of commensality and sociability, both generational and professional, surrounding the commercial consumption of culturally significant foods are taken into account. Methodologically, this ethnographic research has relied on participant observation in urban anthropology, also inspired by the theoretical principles of dialogic and dynamic anthropology, as well as considering subjectivities, affects, and sensitivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to delve into food knowledge and practices concerning the ecological management of food resources, spanning procurement, transformation, and consumption processes, through the lens of creating a cookbook as a tool for decolonizing food knowledge and practices. The impetus for crafting a cookbook alongside an indigenous community in northwestern Mexico stems from the dynamic process of exchanging ecological and food knowledge, where the following questions are posed: What foundational knowledge and essential ingredients underlie the community's food system? And how might the cookbook serve as a catalyst for knowledge exchange and transdisciplinary collaboration? Adopting a qualitative approach, the research employs participatory methodology, involving workshops with women from the Kumiai community of San José de la Zorra, Baja California, Mexico. These workshops aim to spotlight the diversity of foods sourced from the collection of wild species/seasonal crops and to glean insights into the perspectives on food culture from the region. As a result, the study unveils ingredients cultivated and gathered across different seasons, offering a glimpse into the community’s rich food knowledge. A design proposal is articulated to craft recipes that not only respect the essence of the community’s way of life but also resonate with the profound connection people have to the territory. Moreover, the research delves into the significance of decolonizing cookbooks by amplifying indigenous food knowledge and reclaiming narratives from a biocultural perspective. The cookbook emerges as a tool for igniting dialogue about food in relation with the social-ecological context of indigenous and rural communities in northwestern Mexico. Furthermore, it proposes that this model can be adapted to other contexts, needs, and preferences, thereby effectively linking food and territory while challenging dominant culinary narratives.

Introduction: Although vegan and vegetarian diets and lifestyles differ significantly from each other, among other things, notably in their respective consequences regarding animal welfare and their ecological impact, vegans and vegetarians are often grouped together and usually compared to omnivores in psychological research. Considering that vegans and vegetarians often share similar motives for their lifestyle choices, namely animal and environmental issues, the question arises why similar motives lead to different conclusions and correspondingly different behaviors, most notably, of course, that vegetarians consume animal-derived foods such as cheese or milk while vegans do not consume animal-derived products (e.g., food, cosmetic products). This is why this study explored the psychological differences between vegans, vegetarians, and prospective vegans - the latter group being located in an intermediate, transitionary position. Focusing on the motivational, affective and cognitive components of dietary transition and participants' adherence to eating patterns, reasons for said patterns, possible hinderances to becoming vegan, the role of participants' social environments, and the impact of various misconceptions regarding the feasibility of a vegan diet in everyday life were all explored. Methods: An observational study was conducted via online questionnaire (1420 participants). Results: Significant differences were found between vegans, prospective vegans, and vegetarians, especially concerning their knowledge of issues pertaining to their respective lifestyles. Discussion: The critical role of knowledge is invoked as an explanation as to why vegans and vegetarians display different behaviors although they share a similar motivation. Thus, in this study the concept of vegan literacy is introduced. Additionally, the distinctive role of cheese is explored, discussing possible indications of its potentially addictive nature and, consequently, the importance of cheese as a hindering factor for pursuing a vegan diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Healthy eating habits are undeniably one of the most crucial determinants of people's health in today's world. Undoubtedly food literacy and its components are key variables influencing food habits. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between food knowledge, food skills, resilience and healthy eating habits in the adult population of Shiraz City, Iran. Materials and Method: A sample of 384 adults in Shiraz City was selected by cluster sampling and completed a questionnaire in 2023. Food literacy included 3 components, namely, knowledge, skill and resilience, determined using a standard 14-item questionnaire. The scale used to measure healthy eating habits included 6 items. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 27 software. Results: The majority of the sample demonstrated average levels of food knowledge, food skills, resilience and healthy eating habits. Multivariate analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between age and healthy eating habits, while individuals with university education exhibited significantly healthier eating habits compared to illiterate individuals. Furthermore, it was found that food knowledge and resilience had the most significant effect on healthy eating habits, respectively. Conclusion: The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between the components of food literacy and healthy eating habits in the adult population of Shiraz City, Iran. Food knowledge and resilience had significant effects on healthy eating habits. In general, it can be concluded that the implementation of targeted training courses with a special emphasis on improving food knowledge and skills should be prioritized by relevant authorities. Promoting food literacy has the potential to promote healthy eating habits and ultimately elevate the overall level of community health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chefs' decisions can greatly improve the quality of food provided and positively guide diners' choices. Culinary students' knowledge of healthy and sustainable nutrition is still scarcely investigated and is limited to the nutritional aspect of the diet, without considering food sustainability or the environmental impact of foods. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of an educational program designed for apprentice chefs. Two questionnaires were administered twice to each student who followed dedicated lectures about nutrition and food sustainability and to other students enrolled as the control group. A total of 264 and 252 apprentice chefs of The School of Italian Culinary Arts—ALMA were enrolled in the control and intervention groups, respectively. At baseline, both groups showed a good level of nutrition knowledge, whereas food sustainability knowledge was lower in all students, regardless of the group. This educational intervention proved to be effective in improving knowledge about nutrition and the environmental impact of food production and consumption. However, a small but significant improvement in nutritional knowledge was also found over time in the control group. Finally, a food sustainability knowledge questionnaire was developed and validated for this study, providing interesting results to be treated as a guide for future developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The consumption of whole grains is widely recognised as healthy and included in several national dietary guidelines. Despite that, the consumption of whole grain products remains sub-optimal. Methods: We developed a questionnaire investigating perceptions of price, taste, positive and negative health effects, sustainability and versatility of whole grains and the consumption frequency of whole grain food products. This questionnaire was administered to a sample of 1,014 individuals in Northern Italy. Results: We observed an overall positive attitude towards whole grain products, especially in relation to positive health effects, versatility and taste, that resulted in strong drivers for whole grain consumption. Age, gender and educational level were identified as influences on whole grain perceptions, especially for taste and positive health effects. Respondents were clustered according to the attitudes they expressed. Conclusion: The characteristics of these clusters could be used to customise future nutritional education programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diet-based approaches such as the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) have proposed health benefits for patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Despite its potential effectiveness, patients and caregivers identified barriers towards implementing the SCD, and a majority expressed interest in formal education surrounding the SCD. This study aimed to determine the impact of a virtual teaching kitchen curriculum on caregivers' knowledge and perspectives on implementing the SCD. Inclusion criteria included pediatric patients with IBD aged 3–21 years and their caregivers. Participants should have fewer than 12 months of experience with the SCD or have no experience with the SCD but with an interest in learning it. Twenty-three caregivers took part in a 90-min virtual teaching kitchen curriculum and completed pre- and post-session surveys. Caregivers had statistically significant increases in total curriculum scores (p < 0.0001) as well as increases in all curricular elements post-curriculum teaching. Caregivers indicated that they plan to apply the newly acquired recipes and cooking concepts and appreciated the encouragement and support they received during the course. Curricular strengths identified included the innovative multimodal curriculum structure and professional and community support. IBD centers can use this pilot study to create or expand SCD and other nutritional curricula for the IBD community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we delve into the contexts, knowledge and power relations that lead to the emergence of what we call "healthy" food configurations. These configurations are the result of particular arrangements of realms of practices, sets of knowledge, actors, events, institutions, and more that contribute to the production of various understandings and ways of approaching "healthy" food. Mobilizing a cultural studies approach and theoretical framework, we question the power relations negotiated in how/when/for whom these configurations emerge and what knowledge at the intersection of food, bodies and health they convey and produce. We analyze the elements of local context and the broader socio-cultural ideologies that permeate food cultures and inform these configurations' emergence. Working with and navigating through public debates, alternative food practices, political and community-based discourses and practices, and food products and trends retrieved from Quebec's (Canada) food culture, we offer a new way of approaching different understandings of "healthy" food – as many different configurations – to unveil the diversity of the actors, knowledge, and power relations at play in their situated emergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The replacement of unprocessed and minimally processed foods with processed and ultra-processed ones can be a contributor to the increased prevalence of obesity amongst adults and adolescents. Mobile health (mHealth) innovations, such as mobile applications (apps), especially games, can be used to improve health behaviors and increase adolescent knowledge. The aim of this qualitative research was to describe the development, assessment, and story immersion of a mHealth nutrition education app developed to improve the food knowledge of adolescents. This study employed the stepwise approach model to the mHealth app development, according to the person-based approach and evidence-based behavior change techniques. The mHealth app was based on the concepts of the NOVA system food classification, present in the Brazilian dietary guidelines. The developed app, Nutrigame – your food guide, is a story-based serious game set in the food routine of an adolescent who needs to choose what to eat, when, where, and with whom the meals are taken. The first version of the app was tested by a group of adolescents (convenience sample, n=6, mean age: 15.8 ± 0.9 years) for 30 days. To assess usability, feasibility, engagement (user testing), and formative evaluation from the user's perspective, five individual interviews. After the last interview, the participants were required to complete a 13-item immersion scale, adapted from the narrative transportation scale to assess story immersion game. The final version of the game was adapted to meet the suggestions presented by the adolescents. All steps used for the app development are described. The gamification elements chosen led to the comprehension of the main learning contents. The mean story immersion score (30.3 ± 1.9) demonstrates the participant's involvement with the game's narrative. This study can provide useful insights to public health researchers and nutrition educators who are planning to develop a mHealth nutrition education app from a practical perspective.

Youth in remote communities of Canada, including those in the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Region (CSUBR), can benefit from building food preservation knowledge because of the additional challenges they experience accessing healthy food. Regrettably, youth in these areas are not adequately engaged in food practices within households that support knowledge building. Schools and community food programs that serve to fill such learning gaps lack food preservation content and are developed without input from youth. Consequently, youth in remote areas, including those in the CSUBR, lack food preservation learning opportunities. To address these gaps, we examine youth participation in food preservation in the CSUBR. We adopted a participatory approach to emphasize youth perspectives. This paper is based on interviews, food preservation workshops, and workshop evaluations with youth. The interviews provided multiple perspectives, including current youth engagement in food preservation activities and factors that hinder or motivate youth participation in food preservation. In addition, we organized food preservation workshops to support youth learning goals. These workshops were evaluated to highlight participants' experiences, including their efficacy in supporting food preservation knowledge building. Findings show that youth are not adequately participating in food preservation compared to other food provisioning activities. Factors such as the lack of teachers hinder youth from participating in food preservation. The workshops supported youth in building various food preservation techniques and learning about the cultural importance of food – important skills and knowledge to support youth food security and their community's food sovereignty.

Food safety is a common concern at the household level, with important variations across different countries and cultures. Nevertheless, identifying the factors that best explain similarities and differences in consumer awareness pertaining to this topic is not straightforward. Starting from a questionnaire administered in seven countries from four continents (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ghana, India, Peru, and the United Kingdom), we present an analysis of the answers related to food safety concerns, aimed at identifying possible explanatory factors. As classical statistical approaches can be limited when dealing with complex datasets, we propose an analysis with machine learning techniques, that can take into account both categorical and numerical values. With the questionnaire as a base, we task a machine learning algorithm, Random Forest, with predicting consumers’ answers to the target questions using information from all other answers. Once the algorithm is trained, it becomes possible to obtain a ranking of the questions considered the most important for the prediction, with the top-ranked questions likely representing explanatory factors. Top-ranked questions are then analyzed using a Random Forest regression algorithm, to test possible correlations. The results show that the most significant explanatory variables of safety concerns seem to be estimates of carbon footprints and calories associated with food products, and primarily with beef and chicken meat. These results tend to indicate that people who are most concerned about food safety are also those who are highly aware of environmental and nutritional impacts of food, hinting at differences in food education as a possible underlying explanation for the data.

Foodborne illnesses are responsible for about half a million deaths annually, of which 30% occur among kids. This study aimed to assess the current food safety knowledge and practice level of Saudi women in Al-Ahsa region, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was conducted through personal interviews among 239 Saudi women. The questionnaire consisted of close-ended questions covering different aspects of food safety knowledge and practices at home and during shopping. Descriptive analyses were used to identify the level of participant's awareness, and the scores were shown in three categories (good - fair - poor) based on their food safety knowledge and practice awareness. The effect of socio-demographic characteristics and their correlation to food safety knowledge and practices was conducted using Chisquare analysis. The results about food safety knowledge showed that around 50% of participants achieved a good score, and 37.5% achieved a fair score, while 12.5% achieved a poor score. In comparison, the participants achieved 75% good score, whereas 12.5% achieved both fair and poor in food safety practices. The results also highlighted a significant correlation (P<0.05) between level of food safety knowledge, practices of participants and their age, marital status, work status, and educational level, while there's no correlation with their family size and total income. Although, the overall result showed good level in food safety knowledge and slightly less in food safety practices among Saudi women living in Al-Ahsa region, continuous education, training, awareness, and motivation are highly recommended to improve women's knowledge and practices to higher levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Prohuman is the property of Business Intelligence Club, o.z. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Foodborne illnesses are responsible for about half a million deaths annually, of which 30% occur among kids. This study aimed to assess the current food safety knowledge and practice level of Saudi women in Al-Ahsa region, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was conducted through personal interviews among 239 Saudi women. The questionnaire consisted of close-ended questions covering different aspects of food safety knowledge and practices at home and during shopping. Descriptive analyses were used to identify the level of participant's awareness, and the scores were shown in three categories (good – fair – poor) based on their food safety knowledge and practice awareness. The effect of socio-demographic characteristics and their correlation to food safety knowledge and practices was conducted using Chi-square analysis. The results about food safety knowledge showed that around 50% of participants achieved a good score, and 37.5% achieved a fair score, while 12.5% achieved a poor score. In comparison, the participants achieved 75% good score, whereas 12.5% achieved both fair and poor in food safety practices. The results also highlighted a significant correlation (P

Healthy eating patterns if adopted early in life support the growth, learning ability and overall health of children and adolescents. This age group is more vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies due to their inappropriate food choices, peer pressure, unhealthy eating habits and increased body’s nutritional demand. The aim of this study was to determine the degree of compliance of adolescents with the recommended dietary guidelines. A multi-stage stratified cluster sampling design was used to conduct qualitative research between January-August 2019 in public and private high schools of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. A semi-structured questionnaire that focused on the general dietary intake and physical activity patterns in the school setting was filled by interview technique. The determinants of eating behaviors were investigated using descriptive statistics and chi-square. As per the BMI percentiles 46.2% (651) were underweight, 2.3% (33) were obese, and 6.2% (88) were overweight. The data indicated that no participant was eating according to the recommendations of the Food Guide Pyramid. However, on the scale of 10, family and advertisements have the highest impact on food choices of adolescents 6.5±2.69 and 6.1±2.77 respectively. Our findings concluded that adolescents do not follow a healthy eating pattern. Nutrition education and interventions must be prioritized to promote health among adolescents.

Food knowledge (FK) is one of the factors that contribute to malnutrition conditions in developing countries, together with food safety, food security and food access. FK is defined as ‘the competence to understand healthy nutrition concepts’; it impacts individuals’ life due to its relationship with food behaviour and eating habits. Therefore, acting on FK can represent a starting point for improving the health status of vulnerable populations. The authors present a total score of an FK questionnaire (FKQ) and its relation to the socio-demographic characteristics of a specific target population: Tanzanian women of childbearing age. The results of the manuscript complement evidence of construct validity of the FKQ by providing an algorithm to compute a total score as a measure of FK. The strength of this tool, and its score, lies in the fact that the questionnaire has been validated and is easy to administer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of malnutrition in developing countries, such as Kenya, is still high. The most recent international reports outline an increase in the prevalence of overnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa, where undernutrition and hidden hunger conditions still represent an emergency. Among the factors influencing malnutrition conditions connected to dietary intake and eating habits, evidence shows the importance of food knowledge. Traditionally, in developing countries, women represent the pillar of the food system and impact their children’s nutrition: food-based, women-centred strategies are recommended to address nutrient gaps, educate and empower women, and counteract malnutrition. The short communication presents the results of the ACTION project: an educational-intervention pilot study targeting childbearing-age women living in rural areas of Southern Kenya. To evaluate the feasibility of the educational course built, the authors administered to the women a food knowledge questionnaire, before and after the intervention. Study results describe an increase in women’s food knowledge after attending the food education course. This encourages to increase education courses which can represent a starting point in improving food habits with a positive effect on the health condition in developing counties too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The replacement of unprocessed and minimally processed foods with processed and ultra-processed ones can be a contributor to the increased prevalence of obesity amongst adults and adolescents. Mobile health (mHealth) innovations, such as mobile applications (apps), especially games, can be used to improve health behaviors and increase adolescent knowledge. The aim of this qualitative research was to describe the development, assessment, and story immersion of a mHealth nutrition education app developed to improve the food knowledge of adolescents. This study employed the stepwise approach model to the mHealth app development, according to the person-based approach and evidence-based behavior change techniques. The mHealth app was based on the concepts of the NOVA system food classification, present in the Brazilian dietary guidelines. The developed app, Nutrigame -- your food guide, is a story-based serious game set in the food routine of an adolescent who needs to choose what to eat, when, where, and with whom the meals are taken. The first version of the app was tested by a group of adolescents (convenience sample, n=6, mean age: 15.8 ± 0.9 years) for 30 days. To assess usability, feasibility, engagement (user testing), and formative evaluation from the user's perspective, five individual interviews. After the last interview, the participants were required to complete a 13-item immersion scale, adapted from the narrative transportation scale to assess story immersion game. The final version of the game was adapted to meet the suggestions presented by the adolescents. All steps used for the app development are described. The gamification elements chosen led to the comprehension of the main learning contents. The mean story immersion score (30.3 ± 1.9) demonstrates the participant's involvement with the game's narrative. This study can provide useful insights to public health researchers and nutrition educators who are planning to develop a mHealth nutrition education app from a practical perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eating behaviors and healthy food choices are associated with food literacy, and they have a huge impact on one's health status. For that reason, to increase food literacy is a way to effectively help individuals make appropriate choices that help maintain health and diminish the incidence of non-communicable diseases. The objective of this work was to test and validate a scale to assess food literacy. The validation was conducted on a sample of 924 Portuguese university students. The scale was composed of 50 items, which were submitted to exploratory and confirmatory factors analysis. The final validated scale corresponded to a second-order model with a global factor called "Food literacy", which retained 26 items distributed by three factors: F1—literacy about the nutritional composition of foods (10 items), F2—literacy about labelling and food choices (7 items), and F3—literacy about healthy eating practices (9 items). The internal consistency of the scale is very high, with an alpha higher than 0.9, and the Pierson correlations between the three factors and the global are also higher than 0.9. In conclusion, the present scale has been validated and can therefore be utilized to measure food literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Nutrition and food literacy encompasses knowledge, skills and confidence to prepare healthy meals. This project aimed to assess and compare the proportion of young Canadian adults (18–29 years old) living with type 1 diabetes and without diabetes (controls) who demonstrated adequate nutritional health literacy. Methods: This cross‐sectional study involved participants completing an online survey that included questions on socio‐economic status, nutrition knowledge, confidence and skills in meal preparation and the Short Food Literacy Questionnaire (SFLQ). Proportion of participants with adequate SFLQ score (i.e. ≥34/52) was compared between the groups (two‐sample t‐test). Results: Among the 236 people living with type 1 diabetes and 191 controls (81.5% women), mean age was 24 ± 3 years for people living with type 1 diabetes and 22 ± 3 years for controls (p < 0.001). More people living with type 1 diabetes reported adequate SFLQ score (people living with type 1 diabetes 88.0% vs. Controls 68.0%; p < 0.001). Similarly, majority of people living with type 1 diabetes prepared their own meals compared to the controls (74.5% vs. 47.6%; p < 0.001). Enhanced SFLQ score was associated with higher cooking skills (p = 0.02) and confidence (p < 0.01) in preparing healthy meals. Conclusions: Living with type 1 diabetes was associated with greater SFLQ scores among young Canadian adults. Having the independence, the confidence and skills in meal preparation were contributing factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food knowledge (FK) is one of the factors that contribute to malnutrition conditions in developing countries, together with food safety, food security and food access. FK is defined as ‘the competence to understand healthy nutrition concepts’; it impacts individuals’ life due to its relationship with food behaviour and eating habits. Therefore, acting on FK can represent a starting point for improving the health status of vulnerable populations. The authors present a total score of an FK questionnaire (FKQ) and its relation to the socio-demographic characteristics of a specific target population: Tanzanian women of childbearing age. The results of the manuscript complement evidence of construct validity of the FKQ by providing an algorithm to compute a total score as a measure of FK. The strength of this tool, and its score, lies in the fact that the questionnaire has been validated and is easy to administer.

The incidence of malnutrition in developing countries, such as Kenya, is still high. The most recent international reports outline an increase in the prevalence of overnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa, where undernutrition and hidden hunger conditions still represent an emergency. Among the factors influencing malnutrition conditions connected to dietary intake and eating habits, evidence shows the importance of food knowledge. Traditionally, in developing countries, women represent the pillar of the food system and impact their children's nutrition: food-based, women-centred strategies are recommended to address nutrient gaps, educate and empower women, and counteract malnutrition. The short communication presents the results of the ACTION project: an educational-intervention pilot study targeting childbearing-age women living in rural areas of Southern Kenya. To evaluate the feasibility of the educational course built, the authors administered to the women a food knowledge questionnaire, before and after the intervention. Study results describe an increase in women's food knowledge after attending the food education course. This encourages to increase education courses which can represent a starting point in improving food habits with a positive effect on the health condition in developing counties too.

Interventions to improve dietary quality and intake of fruits and vegetables (FV) among Canadian children have had modest success, and it has been suggested that food knowledge could be key to improvement. Programs have been criticized for insufficiently connecting food knowledge with food skills and decision making about dietary intake. The objective of this study was to investigate factors associated with FV consumption by elementary school children, aged 9–14 years, in Ontario, Canada, including food knowledge, socioeconomic status, sociodemographic characteristics, and the food environment. In 2017–2019, a cross-sectional survey was administered to 2443 students at 60 elementary schools across Southwestern Ontario (SWO), Canada. A parent survey was used to validate self-reported sociodemographic variables. The mean intake of FV reported by these participants was 2.6 (SD 1.1) and 2.4 (SD 1.2) servings/day, respectively. A FV intake below WHO guidelines was reported by 40.7% of respondents. Knowledge score, child age, and parent employment status significantly predicted higher reported intake of FV. This study shows that FV intake among this population group is low, and increased intake is associated with higher food knowledge. To encourage healthy eating, school-based food and nutrition programs that incorporate multiple components and emphasize food literacy are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food literacy is theorized to be associated with healthy dietary intake. However, empirical knowledge on the association between adolescents' food literacy and dietary intake is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between food literacy and dietary intake among Danish schoolchildren aged 11–13 years. The study applied a cross-sectional design using baseline data from a cluster-based quasi-experimental controlled study in a sample (n = 377) of Danish school children. Mixed model analyses were performed to investigate the associations between overall food literacy as well as its five competencies ("to know", "to do", "to sense", "to care", and "to want") and dietary intake of vegetables, fruit, fish, meat, discretionary foods, and sugar-sweetened beverages. Positive associations were found between overall food literacy (E = 1.493, p = 0.002) as well as the competencies "to know" (E = 1.249, p = 0.027), "to do" (E = 1.236, p = 0.028), "to sense" (E = 1.183, p = 0.029), and "to care" (E = 1.249, p = 0.018) and intake of vegetables. The study also found a positive association between the competency "to want" and intake of fruit (E = 13.50, p = 0.037), "to care" and intake of fish (E = 2.050, p < 0.001), and a negative association between the competency "to want" and intake of meat (E = 0.748, p = 0.003) and sugar-sweetened beverages (E = 0.576, p = 0.0021). No associations were found between overall food literacy or any of its five competencies and intake of discretionary foods. These findings suggest that improving specific aspects of food literacy may have a potential to promote healthier dietary intake, though additional research is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emerging literature on the Indigenous food movement identifies community involvement, family-centred food education and re-establishing a relationship with the land as essential to restoring sustainable food systems, land and water access. These processes of reclamation have similarly evolved through collaborative community processes and guiding practices described in this chapter that have taken place in the community of Six Nations of the Grand River. The evolution of social movements and relationships to reinforce patterns of support through the transference of knowledge has led to the “guidance” that continues to adjust and change. This unique form of guidance is not in the form of a westernized practice of creating formalized lists meant for general distribution with the intent of controlling food-based practices. In the community of Six Nations, guidance and practice are informed and conveyed by people and supported through established networks and relationships. This type of guidance, therefore, is living and continues to evolve. As such it is not conveyed in such a prescriptive manner using lists and absolute categories. The Haudenosaunee food guide illustrated in Figure 2 is based on collective knowledge and land-based practices that are meant to be shared, adapted and applied by all members of the community. It is therefore not a static form of guidance as the foods and their connections to land and people evolve as reciprocal relationships.

Copyright of Dilemas Contemporáneos: Educación, Política y Valores is the property of Dilemas Contemporaneos: Educacion, Politica y Valores and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Interventions to improve dietary quality and intake of fruits and vegetables (FV) among Canadian children have had modest success, and it has been suggested that food knowledge could be key to improvement. Programs have been criticized for insufficiently connecting food knowledge with food skills and decision making about dietary intake. The objective of this study was to investigate factors associated with FV consumption by elementary school children, aged 9–14 years, in Ontario, Canada, including food knowledge, socioeconomic status, sociodemographic characteristics, and the food environment. In 2017–2019, a cross-sectional survey was administered to 2443 students at 60 elementary schools across Southwestern Ontario (SWO), Canada. A parent survey was used to validate self-reported sociodemographic variables. The mean intake of FV reported by these participants was 2.6 (SD 1.1) and 2.4 (SD 1.2) servings/day, respectively. A FV intake below WHO guidelines was reported by 40.7% of respondents. Knowledge score, child age, and parent employment status significantly predicted higher reported intake of FV. This study shows that FV intake among this population group is low, and increased intake is associated with higher food knowledge. To encourage healthy eating, school-based food and nutrition programs that incorporate multiple components and emphasize food literacy are needed.

Eating behaviors and healthy food choices are associated with food literacy, and they have a huge impact on one's health status. For that reason, to increase food literacy is a way to effectively help individuals make appropriate choices that help maintain health and diminish the incidence of non-communicable diseases. The objective of this work was to test and validate a scale to assess food literacy. The validation was conducted on a sample of 924 Portuguese university students. The scale was composed of 50 items, which were submitted to exploratory and confirmatory factors analysis. The final validated scale corresponded to a second-order model with a global factor called "Food literacy", which retained 26 items distributed by three factors: F1-literacy about the nutritional composition of foods (10 items), F2-literacy about labelling and food choices (7 items), and F3-literacy about healthy eating practices (9 items). The internal consistency of the scale is very high, with an alpha higher than 0.9, and the Pierson correlations between the three factors and the global are also higher than 0.9. In conclusion, the present scale has been validated and can therefore be utilized to measure food literacy., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

The present manuscript describes the validation of a food knowledge questionnaire (FKQ) for Tanzanian childbearing age women. The FKQ was derived from the Ugandan version and was adapted according to Tanzanian culture and food habits, including 114 closed-ended questions, divided into five different sections. The FKQ was administered to 671 Tanzanian childbearing-age women who were eligible if they: (i) were aged between 14 and 49 years old, (ii) had not been diagnosed with any disease and (iii) lived in the urban or peri-urban area of the Arusha and Morogoro region. The validation process of the FKQ was conducted in Tanzania and the recruitment occurred between August and October 2020. The final version of the validated questionnaire was characterized by a total of 88 questions, divided into ten different sections; each section aimed to investigate a different aspect of food knowledge, except for section A, which collected information related to the social and demographic characteristics of the respondent. The food knowledge questionnaire showed good construct validity and content validity to assess knowledge and food practices in Tanzanian women of childbearing age and could be used in future studies to identify women at higher risk of unhealthy eating habits and food choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sports nutrition and food knowledge can influence athletes' dietary intake, potentially affecting athletic performance. Limited studies have been conducted to identify sports nutrition and food knowledge among Malaysian university athletes. This study aimed to determine Malaysian university athletes' knowledge of sports nutrition and food, and their reference sources and preferred sports nutrition education programme. Seventy athletes (52.9% females, mean weight = 61.8 kg; height = 1.66 m) aged 18.5–22.4 years responded to an online survey administered using a Google Form. A score of ≥60% was considered as adequate knowledge. The average overall knowledge score was 58.6%. The highest knowledge score was for sports nutrition, specifically food intake periodicity (84.8%), while the lowest was for general food knowledge on fat (44.6%). An analysis of specific questions revealed a lack of understanding about the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables (only 14.3% answered correctly), the roles of vitamins and minerals in energy production (21.4%), and good sources of unsaturated fat (37.2%). The academician was the primary reference source (81%), while magazines were the least referred to sources (36%). The university athletes preferred sports camps (33%) over the other nutrition education programme options. More initiatives are needed to improve Malaysian university athletes' understanding and knowledge of sports nutrition and general food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]