Home transport and wastage: environmentally relevant household activities in the life cycle of food.

In environmental systems analysis of food production systems, the consumer phase (home transport, cooking, storing, and wastage) is an important contributor to the total life-cycle environmental impact. However, households are the least investigated part of the food chain. Information gathering about households involves difficulties; the number of households is large, and food-related activities are embedded in other household activities. In cooperation between researchers from environmental systems analysis and consumer research, Swedish households were surveyed by questionnaire, diary, and interviews. Data on home transport of food and wastage were collected. The average weekly driving distance was 28 to 63 km per household, depending on how trips made in conjunction with other errands are allocated. The wastage of prepared food ranged between 0 and 34% for different food categories, and wastage from storing between 0 and 164% (more food was discarded, e.g. by cleaning out a cupboard, than consumed). In both cases dairy products scored highest.

A longitudinal study of the development of dieting among 7-17-year-old Swedish girls.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the extent to which the prevalence of self-reported dieting and the wish to be thinner changed in 7-15-year-old girls over a 3-year period, and to explore potential differences between cohorts recruited in 1995 and 1999. In addition, changes in eating attitudes (Children's Eating Attitudes Test [ChEAT]) were compared between 1995 and 1999. METHOD: A three-wave longitudinal study including girls (n = 1,076-1,279) in five age groups (7, 9, 11, 13, 15, the Main Cohort) and an age-matched cross-sectional sample consisting of 1,759 girls (the Societal Cohort). RESULTS: A marked increase of the wish to be thinner was evident in the 10-14-year-old age range and significant increases in dieting attempts occurred mainly among 9-13-year-old girls. ChEAT scores were significantly higher among 11-year-olds in 1999 than in 1995. However, more 7-year-olds scored above the ChEAT cutoff (