Nutrition Knowledge Among the Maltese |
Posted: November 1, 2017 |
Malta has high rates of obesity and other chronic conditions which are believed to be partly related to a poor diet. A recent study was carried out to investigate whether this situation might be caused by a lack of nutrition knowledge among Maltese adults; this was the first study of its kind locally*. The Findings: Participants (402) completed a short questionnaire of 16 questions based on current nutritional guidelines. 39% of participants were not aware of the five-a-day fruit and vegetable recommendation and knowledge about fibre was low. While most people were well-informed about fat, much lower scores were obtained in questions about cholesterol, with only 37% being aware that cholesterol is found only in animal products. Most people (79%) also failed to realize that butter and regular margarine contain the same amount of calories. Knowledge regarding salt in foods was poor, with only 40%, 65% and 67% knowing that bread, cheese, and baked beans respectively are high in salt. It was found that females scored better than males; those 35 years and older scored better than younger participants; higher education was associated with higher scores, and there was no difference in different districts of Malta. It was also found that people reporting their diets to be healthy had better nutritional knowledge than others reporting it as unhealthy, thus strengthening the idea that knowledge is associated with dietary habits These results indicate that lack of knowledge may be at least partly to blame for the rising health problems in Malta and it is recommended that future educational campaigns address this lack of knowledge. It was also found that males and youths consistently scored worse than females and older adults respectively, and hence health campaigns need to be planned in a way to reach these groups effectively. What You Should Know:-The Five-a-Day Recommendation: The recommendation to eat at least five portions (400g) of fruits and vegetables a day was developed based on a recommendation from the World Health Organization following evidence that populations consuming at least 400g of fruits and vegetables each day have significant reductions in the risk of chronic diseases such as heart diseases, stroke, and certain cancers. A portion is defined as 80g of fresh produce and examples of one portion would be a medium sized apple, banana or orange; one handful of grapes; one tablespoon of dried fruit; a fist-sized portion of vegetables. Potatoes do not count towards your five-a-day. -Fat and Cholesterol Not all kinds of fat are harmful. Saturated fat, found in red meat and whole milk dairy products, is unhealthy and should be limited. On the other hand, monosaturated fat (found in olive oil and peanut butter) and polyunsaturated fat (found in sunflower oil and fish) have beneficial properties and should be part of our diet. Cholesterol is only found in animal products hence all plant oils are cholesterol-free. A common misconception is that in order to reduce one’s blood cholesterol levels, one simply needs to avoid cholesterol-containing foods (e.g. eggs and prawns). In reality, the most important factor which determines our blood cholesterol levels is our saturated fat intake. Hence a person with high cholesterol levels should avoid eating sausages and fatty cuts of meat, butter, and lard, and cakes and biscuits as these are all high in saturated fat. -Salt While everyone is aware of the amount of salt added at the table, in actual fact most of the salt we consume is found intrinsically in foodstuffs. Some foods which people may not realize that they are actually high in salt are bread, cheese, baked beans and most tinned food. -Fibre A high fibre diet is associated with a range of benefits including lowered cholesterol levels, lowered risk of heart disease, better digestive function, weight reduction, and lowered risk of colorectal cancer. Fibre is found in products of plant origin (i.e. fruits, vegetables, lentils, peas, beans, oats, barley, oatmeal, potatoes, dried fruit, soya milk and soya products, bran, wholemeal flour and bread, brown rice, whole grain cereals, nuts, and seeds). Contrary to common belief, fruit juices and cornflake cereals are NOT a good source of fibre. Here you'll know more about nutritional knowledge of maltese adults.
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