Browsing by master's degree program "Master's Programme in Human Nutrition and Food-Related Behaviour"
Now showing items 1-8 of 8
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(2024)Aims: There is no information on changes in body mass index (BMI) due to the COVID-19 pandemic among persons of migrant origin. The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on BMI and factors associated with changes in BMI among the general- and migrant-origin populations in Finland. Methods: Individual-level changes in self-reported BMI among migrant origin persons (n=3313) were obtained from the FinMonik Survey conducted in 2018 and MigCOVID Survey conducted 2020-2021. Data for the general population reference group was obtained from the FinHealth 2017 Study conducted 2017-2018 and the FinHealth 2017 follow-up Study (n= 2982). Logistic regression was applied to examine the association between changes in BMI and age, sex, education, economic activity, length of residence in Finland, language skills, smoking, alcohol usage, sleep, physical activity, snacking, and fruit and vegetable consumption. A significant change in BMI was defined as a 5% or greater change. Results: 40.8 percent of the migrant-origin population and 41.2 percent of the general population in Finland experienced at least a five percent change in BMI. Persons of migrant origin who were other than students or employed (OR=1.71, 95% CI 1.18, 2.48) faced an increased risk for an increase in BMI of at least 5%, while being between 35-49 (OR=0.69, 95% CI 0.49, 0.98) and between 50-66 (OR=0.55, 95% CI 0.36, 0.83) had a significantly decreased risk. In the general population, an increase in BMI of at least 5% was more likely to occur among women (OR=1.61, 95% CI 1.26, 2.07), those who were other than students or employed (OR=1.68, 95% CI 1.26, 2.25), those who increased their alcohol intake (OR=1.64, 95% CI 1.06, 2.54), those who increased their snacking (OR=1.40, 95% CI 1.04, 1.90) and decreased their fruit and vegetable intake (OR=1.85 , 95% CI 1.18, 2.90). An increase of at least 5% in BMI was inversely related with being between the ages of 50 and 66 (OR=0.39, 95% CI 0.27, 0.57), having secondary education or higher (OR=0.61, 95% CI 0.43, 0.86), and even among those who smoked more during the pandemic (OR=0.50, 95% CI 0.26, 0.96). Conclusions: Although economic activity was determined to be a significant predictor of increases in BMI among both general- and migrant-origin populations, most examined factors applied differently to each population. These differences must be considered when planning future public health promotion efforts, particularly those during crisis situations.
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Food education to increase the acceptance of legumes among early childhood education professionals (2024)Legumes are a good source of protein, and they have recently grown in popularity as a substitute for meat due to their lower environmental impact. Reducing meat consumption and replacing it with plant-based foods, such as legumes, is also known to be beneficial for health. Nevertheless, legume consumption in Finland is relatively low, and they are not yet a part of the typical diet for adults or children. Food education and role modeling play an important role in encouraging children towards healthy and sustainable food choices. This thesis investigated whether different food education methods can increase the acceptability of legumes in early childhood education. The thesis is part of the "Food Step" research project, and the data was collected from intervention daycares. The study surveyed early childhood education professionals' attitudes towards legumes using questionnaires. The questionnaires aimed to determine the acceptability of legumes before the intervention and how the food education materials used during the intervention affected it. Among early childhood educators, the use of legumes and related attitudes varied greatly. Most respondents reported using legumes in both the baseline and follow-up surveys, but they showed varying prejudices towards their nutritional properties, structure, and taste. Only attitudes towards the nutritional content of legumes changed significantly between the time points. In summary, the study did not observe significant positive changes in adult attitudes towards legumes. Food behavior begins to form in early childhood, and these patterns are known to be relatively stable. Food behavior-related patterns are learned, for example, in early childhood education. Therefore, it would be important to consider in the future how the attitudes of adults working in early childhood education could be positively changed for them to be better role models.
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(2024)In nutrition science, food and nutrition are generally seen primarily as health promotion and disease prevention tools. One of the critical health promotion activities has been weight loss. However, the desired health goals are rarely achieved, even though health information is abundant, and dieting is widespread. My study aimed to find out how people struggling with weight management and challenges in their food relationship describe their food relationship, the factors that influence it, and how they see learning to eat intuitively, i.e. by listening to their bodies, as part of their food relationship. I aimed to increase the understanding of the different factors associated with eating and dieting and to consider whether there might be alternatives to traditional weight loss methods focusing on overall well-being and strengthening body connection rather than simply tracking weight. The research material was collected through semi-structured thematic interviews. The interviewees (=9) were selected from the participants of the "Farewell to yo-yoing" online course using intuitive eating methods. The interviews were organized using Teams’ video conference app between April and August 2022. The interview material was transcribed and analyzed using theory-based content analysis. The theory and analysis of the study were based on the food relationship framework of Talvia and Anglé (2018) and its five different aspects: behaviour, thoughts, feelings, senses and values. Body image challenges, often stemming from childhood and adolescence, were perceived as the main factors influencing the food relationship. Comments about body image and eating, as well as social comparison, were crucial factors that contributed to developing a perceived problematic food relationship. For some, eating had also become a way of regulating emotions. On the other hand, childhood was also associated with positive experiences, such as eating together and regular eating rhythms, which helped to connect with bodily sensations. Different food-related rules and diets emerged as common factors that undermined the ability to eat according to the body’s signals and were also associated with guilt about eating and binge eating. Similarly, training in intuitive eating was described to increase well-being, psychological flexibility, and decreased black-and-white thinking. In contrast, trust in the body's messages had become more central. However, learning to eat according to the body’s signals and challenging previous beliefs was still a work in progress for many. My thesis brought together the concepts of food relationship and intuitive eating in a new way. It helped highlight experiences rarely seen in the health promotion debate. The results suggest that the factors perceived to have negatively impacted the food relationship were the same factors that undermined the ability to eat based on the body’s signals. Therefore, supporting a positive relationship with food appears to be a key factor for intuitive eating. Future work should explore whether intuitive eating methods could be one way of promoting public health more widely, using standardized measures such as the IES-2 questionnaire. More research is also needed on using of the food relationship framework to promote health and support a positive relationship with food.
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(2024)Background and objectives: To improve human health and environmental sustainability, change in the dietary protein consumption from red meat to plant-based protein sources is needed. Current consumption of legumes and plant-based meat alternatives (PBMA) are relatively low in Finland. However, there is a growing positive belief about plant-based protein sources among consumers, indicating an increasing interest in trying and integrating them into diets. To advance the development of new plant-based protein sources and to develop more effective and better tailored interventions to improve the consumption, beliefs about plant-based protein sources should be further studied. Thus, the aim of this thesis was to deepen the understanding of the relationship between different beliefs and consumption of legumes and PBMAs across sociodemographic groups. In addition, this thesis investigated whether sociodemographic factors moderate the associations between beliefs and consumptions. Materials and methods: Eight beliefs about plant-based protein sources as well as consumption of legumes and PBMAs were studied among Finnish adults (N=1000) who participated in the consumer survey conducted in 2020 as a part of the Leg4Life research project. Data was analysed with quantitative methods (descriptive statistics, Spearman’s correlation, Kruskal-Wallis’s test, and logistic regression). Results: Older age was associated with more frequent legume consumption, but also with less frequent PBMA consumption. No gender differences in the consumptions were found. Higher education and better perceived financial status were associated with more frequent legume and PBMA consumption. Sociodemographic differences were also found within the beliefs about plant-based protein sources. Younger participants perceived them as more sustainable and evoking more positive images compared to the middle-aged participants. Women had in general more positive beliefs than men. Beliefs ‘tasty’ and ‘fulfilling’ were associated with more frequent legume consumption, while beliefs ‘sustainable’ and ‘evokes positive images’ to more frequent PBMA consumption. Significant interaction effects were found between certain belief variables and sociodemographic factors on the consumption of both legumes and PBMAs. Conclusion: The findings from this study revealed a notable gap between beliefs and actual consumption and demonstrate the complexity between sociodemographic factors, beliefs, and consumption patterns regarding legumes and PBMAs. Even though there are positive beliefs about plant-based protein sources, both legumes and PBMAs are still consumed relatively infrequently, indicating that these alternatives have not yet become fully integrated into dietary habits.
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(2024)Ikääntymiseen liittyvä lihasmassan määrän väheneminen ja lihasten toiminnan heikentyminen ovat merkittävimpiä gerastenialle altistavia tekijöitä. Gerastenia on kliininen oireyhtymä, jolle on ominaista alentunut stressinsietokyky, sekä fysiologisten ja neurologisten toimintojen kumulatiivinen heikentyminen. Proteiini yhdistettynä liikuntaan on tutkimuksissa parantanut ikääntyneiden liikunta- ja toimintakykyä ja siten gerastenian oireita ikääntyneillä. Maidossa luontaisesti esiintyvä, MFGM (Milk Fat Globule Membrane) -yhdiste, on tutkimuksissa osoittanut lupaavia terveyttä edistäviä vaikutuksia ikääntyneiden fyysiseen suorituskykyyn. Pro gradu -tutkielmani ensisijaisena tavoitteena oli selvittää, vaikuttaako MFGM-yhdistettä ja proteiinia sisältävien välipalatuotteiden käyttö yhdistettynä kevyeen liikuntaharjoitteluun ikääntyneiden naisten gerastenian asteeseen. Toisena tavoitteena oli selvittää, eroaako tutkittavien proteiininsaanti tutkimuksen alussa eri gerastenian asteen omaavien henkilöiden välillä. Voimapala-tutkimus oli 12-viikon satunnaistettu kontrolloitu tutkimus. Osallistujat olivat yli 70-vuotiaita, kotona asuvia naisia, joiden proteiininsaanti lähtötilanteessa oli alle 1,2 g/painokilo/pv. Osallistujat satunnaistettiin interventio- (n=51) ja kontrolliryhmiin (n=50). Interventioryhmä nautti päivittäin yhden välipalatuotteen, joka sisälsi 23 grammaa maitoproteiinia ja 3,6–3,9 grammaa MFGM-yhdistettä. Molempia ryhmiä ohjeistettiin suorittamaan kotona kevyt liikuntaohjelma päivittäin koko tutkimuksen ajan. Gerastenian asteen arviointiin käytettiin Friedin fenotyyppimallia, jossa on viisi kriteeriä: Tahaton laihtuminen, uupumus, vähäinen fyysinen aktiivisuus, hitaus ja heikkous. MFGM-yhdistettä ja proteiinia sisältävien välipalatuotteiden käytöllä ei havaittu tilastollisesti merkitsevää vaikutusta yli 70-vuotiaiden naisten gerastenian asteeseen. Tutkittavista 3 %:lla oli gerastenia ja 46 %:lla esigerastenia tutkimuksen alussa. Proteiinin saanti lisääntyi interventioryhmässä 0,2 g/kg/pv (p<0,001) tutkimuksen aikana. Tutkittavien proteiininsaannissa ei havaittu tilastollisesti merkitsevää eroa gerastenian asteiden välillä. Vaikka MFGM-yhdisteellä ja proteiinilla ei tässä tutkimuksessa havaittu olevan vaikutusta ikääntyneiden gerasteniaan, muutamien aiempien tutkimusten perusteella MFGM-yhdisteellä on havaittu ikääntyneiden liikunta- ja toimintakykyä edistäviä ominaisuuksia. MFGM-yhdiste sisältää useita bioaktiivisia yhdisteitä, jotka voivat vaikuttaa gerasteniaan eri mekanismeilla. Gerastenia on monitekijäinen oireyhtymä, joten MFGM-yhdisteen, ravitsemuksen ja liikunnan yhdistävillä monikomponentti-interventioilla, voitaisiin saavuttaa hyviä tuloksia gerastenian hoidossa. MFGM-yhdistettä on tutkittu ikääntyneillä toistaiseksi hyvin vähän, joten lisää tutkimuksia aiheesta tarvitaan erityisesti niillä ikääntyneillä, joilla on jo gerastenia.
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(2024)Background and aims: Caffeine is a widely known psychoactive compound with pharmacological effects including mild central nervous system stimulation, wakefulness, and decreased reaction time. The average caffeine consumption in Finnish adults is more than 400 mg per day. However, the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR) 2023 and EFSA have set the limit for pregnant women at 200 mg of caffeine per day. Feeling fatigued in the morning results in increased caffeine consumption, which is followed by sleep impairment, which may be referred to as a “coffee cycle. Increased caffeine consumption is known to cause adverse birth outcomes. Therefore, the aim was to examine the association of caffeine intake during pregnancy with maternal sleep and fatigue. Methods: This study used the baseline data from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) CHILD-SLEEP study (2011-2013), which was conducted in the Pirkanmaa Hospital District, Finland. 1667 women in the 32nd week of their pregnancy were included in the study. Sleep parameters were measured using the Basic Nordic Sleep Questionnaire (BNSQ), tiredness was measured using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and caffeine consumption was measured using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Logistic regression models were used to examine the association of sleep variables with caffeine consumption and the Chi Square test was carried out to see the prevalence of sleep problems in the low and high caffeine consumption groups. Results: Sleep latency > 20 min was reported by 22.1% of the women and poor sleep quality by 27.2%. Only 4.5%, 9.7%, and 4.6% of the women reported sleep times less than 6 hours, insomnia score >4, and severe daytime somnolence (ESS>11), respectively. 67.3% women kept their caffeine consumption within the 200 mg per day recommendations while 32.7% reported higher caffeine consumption. When the 200 mg caffeine cut-off was used, a statistically significant association between high caffeine intake and better sleep quality was seen (AOR 0.75, 95% CI: 0.57-0.99, p-value= 0.039). When a more stringent cut-off of 257.65 mg was used, there was a significant association (OR 1.61, 95% CI: 1.00-2.59, p-value= 0.046) between high caffeine intake and higher insomnia score (≥ 4). Conclusions: Poor sleep quality, less duration of sleep, insomnia, and fatigue were quite prevalent. Additionally, increased caffeine consumption may lead to more insomnia and daytime tiredness. This shows that the recommendations set by NNR 2023 and EFSA are quite beneficial, as higher caffeine consumption not only adversely affects sleep and tiredness but also results in negative birth outcomes. Therefore, it may be beneficial to study sleep quality during pregnancy and the factors that may affect it, to establish causal relationships and formulate specific healthcare guidelines.
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(2024)Background: Dairy has a culturally and economically quintessential role in European countries while significantly contributing to GHG emissions. However, flexitarian dairy consumers are scarcely researched, especially in Finland, one of the world’s most dairy-intense countries. There is a rising need for comprehensive research on dairy consumption and the role of dairy in everyday life food consumption practices. Objectives: With a social practice theoretical approach, this study aims to understand the role of dairy and dairy alternatives in the food preparation practice of Finns in North Ostrobothnia’s countryside. Daily food preparation and its performances can be defined as routine-like behaviour that consists of several interconnected elements: bodily and mental activities, things and their use, and background knowledge such as understanding, know-how, emotions, and aspirations. The main research objective is divided into two sub-themes: a) what kinds of competences, materials and meanings support the use of dairy in people’s daily food preparation practice, and b) what kinds of competences, materials and meanings promote a change in food preparation practice regarding the use of dairy alternatives. Methods: The data consisted of semi-structured interviews (n=11) gathered through discretionary chain-referral sampling. The study’s participants were required to be born after 1980, live in the countryside of North Ostrobothnia and consume dairy products regularly. The transcribed data was analysed by structuring and coding it into themes formed by elements of competences, materials, and meanings and their interconnections. Results and conclusions: Dairy holds quintessential value in routinised food preparation. Dairy’s role in food preparation was significant as interviewees had a vast amount of silent knowledge and skills on using dairy products to achieve fulfilling and tasty meals approved by others around the same table. Interviewees were accustomed to using particular ingredients provided at home, and dairy was often used in food preparation alongside those foodstuffs. Regularly used recipes often included some type of dairy product. The taste and texture of dairy were highly valued, having a strong cultural meaning: foods containing dairy were considered as ‘proper’ food. Meanings to use dairy alternatives instead of dairy were sustainable and ethical issues, health-related concerns, pure curiosity, and taste. Dairy alternatives were used as dairy products, which made them facile to use as new skills or know-how were not needed. In contrast, a lack of proven recipes and competences to prepare food from dairy alternatives also prevented interviewees from using them. Interviewees did not want to compromise the taste of everyday meals, and dairy alternatives were only used if they did not affect the taste or texture of the food. Preparing food from dairy was intertwined with other food consumption practices, such as eating and shopping for food, which could be concentrated on in future research. More comprehensive cultural change in food consumption practices is required to shift from dairy to plant-based alternatives.
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(2024)Background. Chronic diseases are characterised by an increase of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the systemic circulation, a marker of gut permeability and inflammation. The intake of red and processed meat (RPM) is associated with the development of chronic diseases. In Finland, men consume about 760 g/week of RPM, which is higher than the intake recommended by the EAT-Lancet’s planetary diet (maximum 196 g/week). Studies that investigate the effects of combining plant- and animal-based protein intake on gut health and immunity are limited. The aim of this thesis is to answer whether the partial replacement of RPM intake with legume-based products would prevent the translocation of LPS from the gut to the systemic circulation of healthy Finnish men. Methods. Altogether 102 participants were recruited in Finland for the Bean man study. They were stratified and randomly divided into two dietary groups for six-weeks intervention trial: the RPM group (Meat) and the RPM and bean group (Bean). The serum was collected and used to investigate the Toll-Like Receptor 4 (TLR4) activation by LPS in Human Embryonic Kidney Cells 293 carrying TLR4, by using the QUANTI-Blue™ colorimetric assay. Statistical analysis included t-test, ANCOVA and Pearson’s correlation analysis with the p value set at 0,05. Results. There were no differences in TLR4 activation between the intervention groups (p=0,59). Red meat and processed meat intakes were weakly correlated with TLR4 activation (p= 0,08 and p= 0,013 respectively), Body Mass Index and age were not correlated with TLR4 activation (p= 0.87 and p=0.81, respectively). Conclusions. Partially replacing RPM with legume-based products did not show a significant decrease in TLR4 activation in vitro among the bean group.
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