Physico-Chemical and Microbiological Differences between Mains and Bottled Water, in an Area in the Central Area of Romania.

The human body is mostly made up of water. The largest proportion of the human body is water, hence the growing interest of specialists in defining the importance of water in the body and the risks of dehydration. This study determined the physico-chemical and microbiological parameters of the drinking water distributed in the public network in the area of operation of Water Distribution Operator in Mureș County and samples of bottled water existing on the market in Mures County (mineral, spring or table). The water supplied to the network can be safely consumed. This is demonstrated both by the results of the analyses of the physico-chemical and microbiological parameters related to the legislative standards and by the values of the similar parameters analyzed for the bottled water.

Population preferences for sources that offers information about dietary fibres health effects - an international cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the perceived importance of information about dietary fibre with regard top opulation socio - demographic characteristics and consumption patterns. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted from September to November, 2016, in six different counties and 57 cities across Romania, and was part of a larger project that had nine other countries as well. Data of the Romanian subjects was collected using a validated questionnaire that was disseminated across the 10 countries at the same time. Knowledge about dietary fibre was explored through 10 questions, and the respondents were asked to answer on a 5-point Likert scale varying from 1 (totally disagree) to 5 (totally agree). SPSS 22 was used for data anaylsis. RESULTS: Of the 670 subjects, 358 (53.4%) were females, and the overall mean age was 35.81±15.61 years (range: 18-89 years). There were 298 (44.5%) subjects with a university degree, 314(46.9%) had completed high school and 57 (8.5%) had done primary school. Besides, 568 (84.8%) participants lived in an urban environment. Internet was the main source of getting information for 368(54.9%) subjects, while the lowest was hospitals 122 (18.2%). The percentage of correct answers regarding knowledge about health effects of dietary fibre was 23.12%. Most accurate answers were related to deficiency of vitamins and minerals 370 (55.5%), breast cancer 202(30.3%), vision problems 202(30.3%) and diabetes 168 (25.2%). The question with least accurate answer was the one about general preventive characteristics of dietary fibres 65 (9.7%). CONCLUSION: A proper and friendly way to transmit information about the importance of dietary fibre consumption is critical in promoting healthy diet patterns and in preventing non-transmissible diseases.