Determinants of Honey and Other Bee Products Use for Culinary, Cosmetic, and Medical Purposes.

Bee products have been used for centuries for culinary, medicinal, and cosmetic purposes, and their properties are still a subject of research, which provide new arguments in favour of their use. The research aimed to determine the current state of use of bee products by Polish consumers and determine the ways and conditions of their use, with particular reference to the level of nutritional knowledge and health status. The survey was conducted using the CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interview) method on 487 respondents. It was found that honey is used mainly for culinary purposes and, to a lesser extent, for medicinal and cosmetic purposes. Other bee products are much less commonly used than honey-mainly beeswax and royal jelly for cosmetic purposes and propolis and bee pollen for medicinal purposes. Segments distinguished by the frequency of use of honey for particular purposes were differentiated by gender, age, income level, use of other bee products, and motivation to use them. Their differences were also found in terms of the level of nutritional knowledge and self-assessed health status-the highest ratings in both categories were indicated by representatives of the Honey users' segment, which consisted of people who use honey most frequently for cooking, cosmetic and medicinal purposes. Regression analysis additionally showed that higher levels of nutritional knowledge and better health status were associated with the use of honey to treat gastrointestinal ailments and with the use of propolis for medicinal purposes.

Green Physical Activity Indicator: Health, Physical Activity and Spending Time Outdoors Related to Residents Preference for Greenery.

Spending time in the natural outdoor environment is a part of a healthy lifestyle. This study focused on identifying elements of green infrastructure that have a positive impact on both increasing physical activity, spending time outdoors and improving overall health. The aim of the research was to identify which elements of the settlement units' green and blue infrastructure, related to residents' preferences for greenery, influence more physical activity and spending time in green spaces and improve the healthy feeling of users as perceived by respondents. A total of 721 respondents from Poland took part in the survey. Using multiple regression models, the factors that influence an increase in outdoor physical activity Green Physical Activity Index (GPAI) were: using green spaces for exercise, spending time outdoors, exposure to nature and sufficiently large amounts of green space in the neighborhood and proximity to places to walk the dog. In contrast, physical activity has been shown to improve feeling healthy (health declaration). The main findings show that the increase in physical activity outdoors (GPAI) is positively influenced by factors related to respondents' reasons for being outdoors, rather than the attractiveness and availability of green infrastructure. The research confirmed the necessity of arranging green areas with rich offerings in terms of a variety of activities for leisure visitors, to give them more opportunities for being outdoors.

Urban Environment, Green Urban Areas, and Life Quality of Citizens-The Case of Warsaw.

The increased migration of people from rural areas to cities has prompted researchers to take an interest in the problem of the quality of life (QOL) of the urban population in different contexts. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the level of satisfaction of Warsaw residents with urban infrastructure (SUI) and their QOL, the impact of the SUI on the perception of a neighborhood as an ideal place to live and the relationship between the amount of green areas and and the SUI of Warsaw residents and their QOL. The quantitative survey was conducted using the CAWI method on a sample of 381 adults. The WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire was used to measure QOL, the scale used in earlier surveys was used to assess SUI, areas of of Warsaw with different amounts of green space were distinguished using cluster analysis. The study showed a relationship between the SUI declared by residents and their QOL, mainly in the environmental domain. The discriminant analysis showed that satisfaction with greenery is one of the most important determinants of the subjective perception of a neighborhood as an ideal place to live. There was no direct effect of the amount of green areas in objective terms on the QOL of Warsawians, but a relationship was noted between the amount of green areas and SUI, with the highest level of satisfaction noted for the Green-balanced Cluster, characterized by the most favorable combination of quality and utility of urban area.

Innovation as a Factor Increasing Fruit Consumption: The Case of Poland.

Due to the low level of fruit consumption in relation to dietary recommendations in many European countries, including Poland, multidirectional actions should be taken to increase the consumption of these products. One of the ideas could be the introduction of innovative products. The main goal of the study is to determine the relationship between consumer propensity to purchase innovative products and the frequency of consumption of fruits and their preserves of consumers. The research sample consisted of 600 respondents who declared to consume fruit and were responsible for food shopping in their households. The results obtained indicate that consumers with a higher propensity to purchase innovative products consumed fruit and fruit preserves more. In addition, statistically significant differences were found between innovators and non-innovators in terms of income, expenditures on fruit purchases, places where fruit and fruit preserves were purchased and product characteristics that determined the purchase decision. The logistic regression results indicate that a higher frequency of supermarket/hypermarket and online shopping, a higher weekly spending on fruit and a greater importance attributed to the biodegradability of the packaging increased the favorability of innovation relatively to fruit products (by 23.8%, 31.4%, 32.7% and 21.6%, respectively). The relationships found may have important implications for both private and public stakeholders in the fruit and vegetable sector.

The influence of nutritional information upon customer attitude and behaviour in eating out establishments

Background: Providing nutritional information in catering establishments in Poland, it is not mandatory, at the same time this type of information may affect the attitudes and behavior of consumers. Objective: The purpose of this research was to define the influence of nutritional information upon customer attitude and behaviour in eating out establishments. Material and methods: An online consumer survey was conducted in 2016. The quantitative research was undertaken in the form of a questionnaire among a group of 403 people selected in terms of age (18-35 years old), residence (big cities) and frequency of eating out or away from the home. Results: The results of this research show that the respondents' perception of information was positive and influenced both their perception of the eating out establishment, as well as their purchasing decisions. Only gender was statistically important for the differentiation of the consumers' behaviour within the scope analyzed. Conclusions: The results obtained lead to the conclusion that providing nutritional information may increase the competitiveness of eating out establishments. It may also lead to a more rational marketplace, where choices in terms of health may impact social health, taking into consideration the growing popularity of eating out or away from home.

The Associations between Dietary Patterns and Short Sleep Duration in Polish Adults (LifeStyle Study).

Short sleep duration appears to put adults at risk of excessive energy intake and obesity; less is known specifically about how sleep quantity relates to dietary patterns. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the associations of dietary patterns (DPs) with short sleep duration. The data were collected in November 2016 through a cross-sectional quantitative survey among 972 Polish adults with both normal weight and excessive weight. Principal components analysis (PCA) was conducted to derive DPs. Logistic regression analysis was used to verify associations between short sleep duration (independent variable) and DPs (dependent variables). Five DPs ('Fast foods & sweets'-FF&S; 'Meat & meat products'-M&MP; 'Fruit & vegetable'-F&V; 'Wholemeal food'-WF; and 'Fruit & vegetable juices'-F&VJ) were identified. Adults whose diet was based both on fruit and vegetables (OR 0.62, 95% CI: 0.44⁻0.88; p < 0.01) and on fast food and sweets (OR 0.63, 95% CI: 0.44⁻0.99; p < 0.01) were less likely to be short sleepers on weekdays. On weekdays short sleep duration was associated with smaller odds of FF&S both for men (OR 0.58, 95% CI: 0.33⁻0.97; p < 0.05) and for women (OR 0.61, 95% CI: 0.38⁻0.98; p < 0.05), and with smaller odds of F&V (OR 0.34, 95% CI: 0.20⁻0.58; p < 0.001) for men. Short sleep duration on weekend days was associated with a smaller odds of F&VJ (OR 0.56, 95% CI: 0.30⁻0.96; p < 0.05- only in crude model) and higher odds of F&V (OR 1.70, 95% CI: 1.02⁻3.11; p < 0.05) for women, and with a smaller odds of FF&S (OR 0.37, 95% CI: 0.17⁻0.79; p < 0.05) for men. The number of significant associations between dietary patterns and sleep duration was higher among people with normal weight and overweight compared to those with BMI ≥ 30. We found that both short sleep duration on weekdays and weekend days was associated with some dietary patterns including both healthy and unhealthy DPs. Gender significantly differed these relationships in groups with normal and excessive weight. Findings of the study confirmed the potential effectiveness of combined use of sleep duration and dietary patterns in the development of recommendations for prevention of obesity. Future studies are called for to evaluate these links using dietary patterns identified according to food intake.

The Associations between Dietary Patterns and Sedentary Behaviors in Polish Adults (LifeStyle Study).

Sedentary behavior, a low physical activity level, and unhealthy dietary patterns are risk factors for major chronic diseases, including obesity. The aim of this study was to assess the associations of dietary patterns (DPs) with sedentary behaviors (SB) and self-reported physical activity (PA). The data was collected in November 2016 through a cross-sectional quantitative survey amongst 1007 Polish adults. Principal components analysis (PCA) was conducted to derive DPs. Logistic regression analysis was used to verify associations between PA and SD (independent variables), and DPs (dependent variables). Five DPs ('Fast foods & sweets'-FF&S; 'Meat & meat products'-M&MP; 'Fruit & vegetable'-F&V; 'Wholemeal food'-WF; 'Fruit & vegetable juices'-F&VJ) were identified. Representing M&MP independently increased the chance of watching TV at least once a day (by 73%). There was no such relationship between the FF&S and sedentary behaviors. Being in the upper tertiles of pro-health DPs increased the chance of reading books (by 177%-F&V, 149%-WF, 54%-F&VJ) and watching TV (by 71%-F&V). On the other hand, belonging to the upper tertile of WF reduced the chance of using the computer for more than 4 h a day. Belonging to the upper tertile of healthy DPs (WF and F&VJ) increased the chances of moderate or high physical activity, both at work/school and during leisure time. Within F&V, there was a lower chance of moderate or high physical activity at work/school. Being in the upper tertile of unhealthy DPs (FF&S and M&MP) did not show any significant association with physical activity. The study indicated the associations between both healthy and unhealthy DPs and some sedentary behaviors. Association between F&V and watching TV and reading books/newspapers should be recognized as potentially efficient in education. Association between M&MP and watching television can be indicative of the mutual overlap of a negative lifestyle resulting in the development of overweight and obesity, especially since the extent of occurrence of sedentary behaviors is high.