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.