Selected individual determinants of cereal, fruit and vegetable consumption among menopausal women in view of potential health risks

Abstract

SummaryThe aim of this study was to analyze some personal determinants of cereal, fruit and vegetable consumption in a group of menopausal women. We analyzed selected individual characteristics, such as the level of general self-efficacy, optimism, and satisfaction with life. The study, using a questionnaire assessing the frequency of food product consumption and psychological scales (GSES, LOT-R, SWLS), included 320 women aged between 45 and 55 years.Statistical analysis of the Spearman's rank coefficients of correlation revealed that increased BMI was associated with a significantly higher frequency of white bread consumption (p < 0.05), and decreased consumption of brown rice, whole grains (p < 0.01), wholegrain noodles, oat meal (p < 0.05), raw and green vegetables (p < 0.01), and fruits, including citruses (p < 0.01). The level of self-efficacy correlated positively with the consumption frequency of white rice (p < 0.05), noodles, raw, cooked, and green vegetables (p < 0.01), and fruits, including citruses (p < 0.01). The level of optimism was positively correlated with the frequency of brown rice, noodle, whole grain and oat meal consumption (p < 0.01). Higher levels of satisfaction with life were associated with more frequent consumption of brown rice, noodles, whole grains, oat meal (p < 0.01), and cooked vegetables (p < 0.05), as well as with a lower frequency of white bread consumption (p < 0.05). The tendencies documented in the correlation analysis were further confirmed by intergroup comparisons with the KruskalWallis and Dunn tests (p < 0.05).Our study revealed that the frequency of selected cereal, fruit and vegetable consumption varies depending on individual characteristics, with a tendency to more rational nutritional choices among women with higher levels of self-efficacy, optimism and satisfaction with life.Key words: women, menopause, dietary pattern, cereal products, vegetables, fruits, psychological traits. StreszczenieCelem badań była analiza niektórych osobniczych uwarunkowań konsumpcji produktów zbożowych oraz warzyw i owoców w grupie kobiet w wieku okołomenopauzalnym. Analizie poddano wybrane różnice indywidualne, w tym poziom uogólnionej skuteczności, optymizmu i satysfakcji życiowej. Badaniami, z wykorzystaniem kwestionariusza częstości spożycia produktów oraz testów psychologicznych (GSES, LOT-R, SWLS), objęto 320 kobiet w wieku 45-55 lat.Analiza statystyczna korelacji rang Spearmana wykazała, że wraz ze wzrostem wartości wskaźnika masy ciała (body mass index -BMI) istotnie zwiększała się częstość spożycia pieczywa jasnego (p < 0,05), a zmniejszało spożycie ryżu razowego, kasz gruboziarnistych (p < 0,01), makaronu razowego, płatków owsianych (p < 0,05), warzyw surowych i zielonych (p < 0,01) oraz owoców, w tym cytrusowych (p < 0,01). Poziom skuteczności wykazywał dodatnią korelację z częstością spożycia ryżu jasnego (p < 0,05), makaronów, warzyw surowych, gotowanych i zielonych (p < 0,01) oraz owoców, w tym cytrusowych (p < 0,01). Poziom optymizmu był dodatnio skorelowany z częstośc...

Satisfaction with Life and Nutritional Behaviour, Body Composition, and Functional Fitness of Women from the Kraków Population Participating in the “Healthy Active Senior” Programme

“…Referring to the results of our research to those obtained in other studies, low health quality of the diet and nutritional disorders have been noted among women of all ages, including senior women [20,21,26,44,[54][55][56].…”

“…Such changes further reduce quality of life [13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. Despite the key importance of behavioural factors for health and quality of life, in numerous studies, nutrition-related mistakes have been indicated, as well as a low level of physical activity among seniors, both in Poland [20][21][22] and in other countries [23][24][25][26].…”

“…Among the psychological features significant for shaping health culture, personal resources occupy an important place, including sense of satisfaction with life (SWL), which is a subjective measure of well-being related to the cognitive assessment of life quality [28,29]. In the research, the predictive importance of personal resources was confirmed, including SWL, for the quality of food choices in various population groups, including perimenopausal women [20,21] and females with type 2 diabetes [30]. In the study, significantly different forms of physical activity for the improvement of SWL in senior women were observed [31][32][33][34][35][36].…”

Level of knowledge regarding health as well as health education and pro-health behaviours among students of physical education and other teaching specialisations

“…Research among teachers from Wielkopolska also showed that a higher level of life satisfaction was associated with lower BMI values and a more favourable diet [50]. Similar tendencies to increase life satisfaction with more rational dietary choices were also confirmed among perimenopausal women [51] and young women recreationally training fitness [52]. Relationships of life satisfaction with some behavioural health determinants (mainly nutrition) have also been confirmed by Chilean researchers [53,54].…”

The Effect of a Fruit and Vegetable Program on Diet Quality and Produce Consumption

“…Additionally, satiety may be a factor for some students. Krolner, et al reported In a study investigating 320 professional women aged 45 to 55, Gacek (2013) identified a relationship between self-efficacy, optimism, life-satisfaction and a higher level of fruit and vegetable intake, suggesting that the lack of strong self-efficacy, optimism and satisfaction with life may be a barrier to appropriate levels of fruit and vegetable consumption. Furthermore, Pitts, et al (2013) discovered that there was no association between college students who shopped at a farmer's market and the probability of consuming at least five servings of fruit and vegetables, but other individuals shopping at a farmer's market were much more likely to eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily.…”