Browsing by Subject "health"
Now showing items 1-2 of 2
-
(2020)Food literacy is a noteworthy topic to be studied due to food’s considerable environmental and health effects. When food literacy and its characteristics are known, food literacy can be used as a tool to improve people’s health and the condition of the environment. Thus, this thesis aims to reveal the extent of food literacy among Finnish upper secondary school students. In this context, food literacy emphasises food-related environmental and health knowledge. Environmental knowledge is understanding of the global environmental impact of food. Health knowledge, on the other hand, is the familiarity with the relationship between excessive meat consumption and Finnish common diseases along with beliefs regarding diets and food products as a source of protein. This thesis also aims to identify to what extent does the food literacy differ based on gender, study year and living area. This study was performed as a quantitative sample survey and the data was collected using an online Typeform -questionnaire. The questionnaire reached respondents from many different Finnish localities, mainly from cities. The final data consisted of 1320 individuals and it was analysed using IMB SPSS Statistics 24 software. The following methods were used to analyse data: frequency analysis, an Independent Samples t Test, a One-way ANOVA, and a Post-hoc LSD test. Gender, study year and living area were used as grouping variables to examine the differences between groups. The results show that the students named school as the main source of food literacy. Moreover, the results indicate that awareness regarding food production, dietary health and proteins increase significantly from the first to the third study year. The students acknowledged food production causing environmental problems and that the share of food in the consumer’s climatic impact is considerable. Nevertheless, the students underestimated the climatic impact of cheese and they were unaware of the more specific characteristics of food’s environmental impacts. They also had food-related environmental misconceptions considering packaging, transportation and meat consumption. Moreover, approximately half or more of the students were aware of the connection between excessive meat consumption and the increased risk of distinct common diseases. Most of the students acknowledged a versatile vegetarian diet as being a healthy choice. The study also reveals that female students had notably higher dietary health knowledge than male students. This Master’s thesis study mainly supports the findings of previous studies on food-related knowledge. The results elucidate the extent, characteristics, gaps and misconceptions of students’ food literacy. These findings may be utilized to improve school education on food literacy, alter misconceptions and fill the gaps of knowledge in pursuit of improving the health of people and the condition of the environment.
-
(2024)The planetary health approach emphasizes the interconnectedness between human health and natural systems. Urban planners also have the opportunity to promote planetary health through their work by reducing the negative environmental impacts of planning solutions and by increasing decisions that support residents' health and wellbeing. Numerous studies have shown that nature promotes human physical, mental, and social health, underscoring the importance of accessible nearby nature, especially in growing cities. This thesis examines urban planning in the city of Lahti from the perspective of planetary health. The study aims to investigate how nearby nature and its health and wellbeing effects, particularly for children and young people, have been considered and identified in land use planning. Additionally, the goal is to determine how conflicting land use interests are prioritized in decision-making. The research material consists of interviews with officials from the Lahti Urban Environment service area, and the data is analyzed with qualitative content analysis and thematization. The results indicate that nearby nature is perceived as an important part of Lahti's urban structure. Urban greenspaces and nearby nature areas are most concretely taken into account by zoning them as green areas in general and detailed plans. Furthermore, urban planning utilizes surveys of nearby nature conducted in early childhood education institutions and schools to ensure accessibility of nearby nature for children and adolescents. The appreciation of Lahti's planners, nature-friendly organizational culture, functional planning practices, and the recognition of the city's environmental efforts support the preservation of nearby nature areas in the urban structure. However, green areas without zoning are constantly at risk of being allocated for other land use purposes in a growing city. Planners describe their work as a continual search for compromises between conflicting desires, goals, and land use interests. They hold a central position of power and responsibility in making sustainable planning decisions, which can also be guided by planners' own values, attitudes, and expertise. Systems thinking required by planetary health approach along with research findings on the health and wellbeing effects of nearby nature, should be more effectively integrated into urban planning, political decision-making, and public discourse. Although this study focuses on planners in one city, it offers interesting insights into effective urban planning practices and current challenges within the framework of planetary health.
Now showing items 1-2 of 2