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Low-carbohydrate diets promote the idea that reducing carbohydrate intake is a key to a healthier life and more natural way to eat. The proponents of these diets form food communities, which share common ideas about food, put forward their own 'alternative' expertise and challenge mainstream dietary advice. This study focuses on the perspectives of self-identified followers of low-carbohydrate diets. We explore their rationales for choosing the diet and how they navigate between different sources of dietary information. The data consists of open-ended responses (n=996) to a food survey published in a leading national Finnish newspaper. The responses have been analyzed using thematic narrative analysis. Our results highlight how uncertainties and disappointments can increase the appeal of 'alternative' diets and expertise. Low-carbohydrate diets are used as a form of self-care, illness prevention, risk management and weight loss by people with chronic conditions and lingering symptoms. They offer a sense of control, an alternative to medications and bring together communities of like minded people. The stories intertwine with health populist discourses, casting doubt on traditional experts. In a world of complex food systems and conflicting information the diets offer clear explanations. Additionally, the results emphasise the credibility and authority of lived experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey study was conducted among 1169 people to evaluate attitudes towards genetic testing in Finland. Here we present an analysis of the contradictions detected in people's attitudes towards genetic testing. This analysis focuses on the approval of genetic testing as an individual choice and on the confidence in control of the process of genetic testing and its implications. Our analysis indicated that some of the respondents have contradictory attitudes towards genetic testing. It is proposed that contradictory attitudes towards genetic testing should be given greater significance both in scientific studies on attitudes towards genetic testing as well as in the health care context, e.g. in genetic counselling. Key words - genetic testing, attitude, modernity

• Veganism has been previously considered as restricting and difficult. • New wave carnivalesque veganism portrays vegan eating as easy and fun. • Carnivalesque veganism has been able to mainstream veganism. • Indulgent veganism addresses multiple intersecting concerns and celebrates food joy. • Enabling discourses and humor are important tools for sustainability transformation. Food is a profoundly political issue, with themes such as environmental sustainability and ethics becoming increasingly important. These concerns have given rise to a new kind of mobilization around vegetarian and vegan eating in recent years. In-depth analyses of the characteristics of this new wave of veganism are needed. Our study explores how the new forms of carnivalesque and carefree veganism are negotiated with the older aims of veganism as political consumerism. Moreover, we aim to understand how new forms of digital food communities are built and take momentum. With these aims, we analyze a social media community for vegan food, a Finnish Facebook group called "Sipsikaljavegaanit," Crisps and Beer Vegans (CBV). The group celebrates indulgent veganism, and by confronting several contemporary concerned food discourses related to, e.g., health, body, and gender, it has broadened the public image of veganism. We analyze indulgent veganism as a form of carnivalesque and political consumerism, taking Mikhail Bakhtin's theorization of the carnival as our analytical framework. Our analysis shows how veganism is reconfigured through various mésalliances, detaching it from previous stereotypes, and how profanation of the stereotypes differentiates between variously motivated veganisms. The carnivalesque spirit is maintained through rather heavy-handed moderation practices online, in contradiction to the idea of free communication in a public sphere. We claim that the political appeal of the new-wave veganism is in the cultivation of vitality and joy, placing serious societal concerns into the Bakhtinian genre of the serio-comical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Finnish insect niche developed around conflicts & negotiations about an illegal product. • Finnish companies used various strategies of circumvention to normalize the product. • The concrete dynamics of niche formation was based on moves around an active obstacle. • The micro-dynamics of the niche was targeted and analyzed as an arena of development. In the current debates on sustainability of food edible insects have been suggested as one alternative source of protein that could respond to the urgent need to decrease global meat consumption. However, in many countries rearing of insects for human food has been restrained by regulatory measures, such as the EU Novel Foods Regulation. This paper analyses the emergence of the edible insect arena in Finland. In spite of the official compliance to the existing EU regulations, a lively startup scene has grown around edible insect production since 2014. The analysis is based on interviews of the central actors of the insect scene and media data. The performances of actors, such as producers, retailers, authorities, researchers, newspaper articles, insects, regulations, and technologies, constituted a network connecting different geographical locations on a common arena of development. The emergence of an innovative arena is shown to be a result of conflicts and negotiations, resumed in three strategies used by the network-builders in order to normalize a forbidden product: media promotion, trials, and consumption. These strategies gathered actors and networks around an 'active obstacle', formed by the authorities' interpretation of the EU law, which, as we argue, has influenced the dynamics of the arena in its formative stage. Implications for the debates concerning technological transitions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modern industrialized food system has faced criticism for several decades. Since the 1990s, various alternative food networks (AFNs) have attempted to increase the economic, environmental and social sustainability of the food system. A recent innovation in Finland, REKO food rings, was motivated by the desire to enhance the livelihood of farmers and to facilitate a broader change in agricultural practices. It applies contemporary social media tools to organize communication and trade between producers and consumers. The present paper analyses perceptions and experiences of sustainability among REKO producers using thematic interviews and questionnaire data. The results show that the expectations for increased sustainability are high, but the producers nevertheless face multiple challenges to ensure sustainability in their daily practices. Many producers reported having modified their production methods to be more environmentally sustainable already before joining REKO. With regards to economic sustainability, after an enthusiastic start, the positive impacts of REKO have started to diminish. Our findings point to the variations and dynamics of the experiences and perceptions that exist across locations and product segments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A transition towards more sustainable food consumption requires changes in everyday eating patterns, particularly a substitution of animal protein with plant-based protein sources. However, in many European countries plant protein consumption is low compared to meat consumption. The article explores plant protein consumption frequencies, future intentions to increase bean consumption, and the associations of frequent bean eating with socioeconomic factors and bean-related meanings, material issues and competence. A population web-based survey was conducted in 2013 among 15–64-year-old Finns (n = 1048). The results showed that beans and soy-based plant proteins were infrequently consumed. A fifth of the respondents intended to increase their bean consumption in the future, intention being the greatest among those who already included beans in their diets. Frequent bean consumption was most likely among persons aged 25–34, living around the capital district, with education higher than comprehensive or vocational school, and who were vegetarian. Perceiving beans as culturally acceptable and good-tasting, and having competence in preparing bean meals were positively associated with the frequent eating of beans. The results suggest that for plant proteins to replace meat, new meanings and competences related to preparing and eating pulse-based dishes are needed. Based on our results, we build alternative future scenarios for plant protein consumption and the related requirements for changes. Several actor groups, such as NGOs, politicians, celebrity chefs and teachers of home economics have a central role in the developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyse changes in food choices, diet-related risk factors and their association during 6 months of military service.Design: Longitudinal cohort study in Finland, where all men are liable to military service and a clear majority of each age group completes service. Dietary intake data were collected by self-administered questionnaire before and at 6 months of service. Three dietary indices based on food frequencies were developed to characterize the diet: Sugar Index, Fibre Index and Fat Index. Thirteen diet-related risk factors were measured at the beginning and at 6 months of service.Setting: Military environment, two geographically distinct garrisons.Subjects: Male conscripts aged 18-21 years (n 256) performing military service.Results: During 6 months of service, positive changes concerned more frequent use of fibre-rich foods (P = 0·011), improved body composition (BMI, waist circumference, muscle mass, fat mass and percentage body fat, P ≤ 0·003 for all), decreased systolic blood pressure and increased HDL cholesterol (P < 0·001 for both). Negative changes concerned more frequent use of sugar-rich foods and increased total cholesterol, TAG and blood glucose (P < 0·001 for all). The consumption of fibre-rich foods was inversely associated with anthropometric risk factors at baseline and with sugar-rich foods at both time points.Conclusions: Despite more frequent consumption of sweet foods, military service with a unified, nutritionally planned diet, a controlled environment and high physical load has a positive effect on conscripts' health risk factors. The negative changes in blood lipids and glucose may reflect more varied free-time eating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study explores young men's (n=290) attitudes towards food and eating before and during military service and their associations with eating of sweet and fatty foods. Before service eating of sweet foods was associated negatively with health interest and positively with craving for sweet foods and using food as a reward, and eating of fatty foods negatively with health interest. At six months of service, craving, using food as a reward and pleasure increased, whereas health interest remained stable. At six months, eating of sweet foods was negatively associated with health interest and positively with craving. Mentally and physically hard conditions and easy access to indulgence items, affect the food related attitudes and food consumption among conscripts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIMS: To ascertain the attitudes towards the use of existing diagnostic and research samples, the setting up of a national biobank, and different types of informed consent among Finns. Method: A population survey of 2,400 randomly selected Finns aged 24-65 was conducted at the beginning of 2007. RESULTS: A total of 1,195 responses (50%) were received after one reminder. Of the respondents, 83% said that they had little or no knowledge of what biobanks were. Despite this, 77% regarded the setting up of a national biobank in a positive light. One third (34%) would not attach any conditions on their consent, while 42% said that it was important to regain consent when the new study contains diverging steps. One third (30%) wanted consent to be regained for every new research project, and 44% would like to decide what type of research their samples would be used for if they were included in a national biobank. One third of both men and women approved of the use of their samples in research involving private enterprises. CONCLUSIONS: In general, Finns were positive toward the setting up of a national biobank, as well as public-private partnerships, even though they considered their knowledge of biobanking to be limited. This, however, did not mean that they were indifferent to the use of their samples, but most wanted the ability to control how their samples are used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To (1) describe the setting and design of the Good Ageing in Lahti Region (GOAL) programme; (2) by using the baseline results of the GOAL cohort study, to examine whether living in urban, semi-urban, or rural communities is related to risk factors for chronic diseases and functional disability in ageing individuals. DESIGN: The baseline data of a cohort study of ageing individuals living in three community types (urban, semi-urban, rural). Data were collected by two questionnaires and laboratory assessments. SETTING: Fourteen municipalities in the Lahti region (Päijät-Häme County) in Finland. PARTICIPANTS: A regionally and locally stratified random sample of men and women born in 1946-50, 1936-40, and 1926-30. A total of 4,272 were invited and 2,815 (66%) participated. MAIN RESULTS: Elevated serum cholesterol, obesity, disability, sedentary lifestyle (<2 times/week walking), and high fat intake were more prevalent in rural vs. urban and semi-urban communities. After adjustment for sex, age, education, obesity, diet, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol use, rural communities remained the only community type with increased (p<0.05) probability for high BMI (OR 1.33) and high waist circumference (OR 1.43). CONCLUSIONS: The unfavourable health and lifestyle profile, together with an old population, makes health promotion for elderly citizens a special challenge for rural communities such as those in Päijät-Häme County, Finland. Most, if not all, of the differences in health between the three community types were explained by educational background, physical activity, and smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey was conducted (n = 1,216) to evaluate the level of knowledge about basic facts of genetics and attitudes toward gene tests among the Finnish population. Our results show that a majority of the Finnish population generally approved of gene tests. Well over half of the respondents believed that genetic testing will have positive consequences, but many also had worries related to the development of gene tests. We showed that there was an association between knowledge and attitudes, but better knowledge did not simply lead to unambiguous acceptance. Among those with the highest level of knowledge there was in many respects both more enthusiasm and more skepticism than among those with the lowest level of knowledge. Those with a low level of knowledge had more difficulties in taking a stance toward attitude statements. In general, steps should be taken, first, to increase citizens' capabilities to seek and understand information about genetics and specific diseases when faced with a need for it. Second, steps should be taken to provide citizens with tools to perceive and discuss potential ethical and social problems, which development of gene technology, genetic testing, and screening bring along. Sites for these enterprises could be the biology school curriculum, genetic counseling, media, as well as health education and health communication in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background In Finland, all men are liable to military service and a clear majority completes service. The increasing prevalence of obesity also among soldiers concerns conscripts’ food choices. Conscripts are served nutritionally planned regular main meals but individual choices take place in free-time eating. This study assesses the effects in conscripts’ eating habits in an intervention targeting the supply of healthy foods available in the military setting. Methods Participants were 604 18-21-year old male conscripts of whom 242 belonged to Control Group and 362 to Intervention Group. Participants of Control Group were historical controls performing military service one year before Intervention Group. The intervention targeted selection, placement, and attractiveness of healthy foods in garrison refectories and soldier’s home cafeterias, the two main food providers in the military. Dietary intake data was collected by self-administered questionnaire at three time points: before/beginning of military service (T0), 8 weeks (T1) and 6 months (T2) of military service. Outcome measures were food consumption frequencies and four dietary indexes (Cereal Index, Fruit and Vegetable Index, Fat Index and Sugar Index) developed to characterize the diet. Changes between study groups in outcome variables and in time were analysed by repeated-measures analysis of covariance. Results Significant (p Conclusions In the military setting, healthier food choices can be promoted by intervening on the main food environments by improving the supply of healthy foods. However, impacting on conscripts’ individual selection as fruit and vegetable consumption is more challenging.

Drawing on qualitative interviews with forty smokers, aged 24-58 years, in Finland, this study aimed to identify key accounts that smokers used to respond to the hegemonic claim that smoking is harmful to health. While the smokers defended themselves in the face of the presumed health risk argument, they both agreed with and challenged the predominant medical and epidemiological discourses. The five most frequently observed account types that the smokers used were: health risk perspective, moderate use is not harmful, counter-evidence, compensatory behaviour, and smoking as the lesser evil. The accounts seemed to have two purposes. First, they served to protect the smokers from self-blame as well as blame from others. The smokers presented themselves as risk-aware and calculating actors, who have nevertheless made their choice to smoke. Second, the smokers tried to convince the interviewers and themselves of the harmlessness and acceptability of their own smoking. The results of the study with respect to smoking further the understanding about the way laypeople make sense of information about health risks that relates directly to their own 'unhealthy' behaviours and how they use this knowledge to justify their behaviour. Based on the findings of our study, we recommend that future anti-smoking campaigns and interventions should take into account and target lay epidemiological health accounts that are applied by smokers themselves. Rather than trying to motivate and persuade smokers to quit with information translated from epidemiological and medical research, the anti-smoking advocates and health promotion specialists should provide answers to the questions that smokers themselves are pondering and answering, too. Consequently, the results can be used in relation to other pleasurable but 'unhealthy' activities, such as unhealthy eating or drinking, by offering insights into how individuals manage to rationalise and maintain activities which the hegemonic public health perspective terms unhealthy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The market for new plant protein-based meat substitutes is expanding, although their consumption remains limited compared to animal-based protein sources. Further research is necessary to comprehend the perceptions of diets in which animal-based protein sources are partially replaced with plant proteins. This qualitative study is part of an intervention trial, during which participants adhered to one of the three intervention diets for 12 weeks: the ANIMAL diet (70% animal-based protein/30% plant-based protein), the 50/50 diet (50% animal/50% plant) or the PLANT diet (30% animal/70% plant). The dataset comprises 79 experience diaries from healthy participants aged 23 to 69. The study investigated perceptions of intervention diets, the meat protein (MPPs) and the plant protein products (PPPs) included in the intervention and self-reported changes in perceptions during the intervention period. These perceptions were categorized into eight themes: body-related experiences, practicalities and everyday life, sensory properties, social situations and special occasions, familiarity and novelty, health, ethical aspects, and non-specific liking. Across the diets, body-related experiences were the most frequently mentioned theme. The ANIMAL diet received more negative than positive comments. In contrast, comments on the 50/50 diet were relatively balanced between positive and negative, and the PLANT diet received more positive comments than negative ones. The PPPs were commented on in a positive way more often than the MPPs were. With consistent exposure, participants reported more positive than negative changes in perceptions. However, there is still room for improvement in enhancing the sensory quality and ease of food preparation of PPPs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors report no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)