Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T21:26:38.974Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Is the link between nutrients and foods understood? The case of fibre and folate

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

KM Cashel ,
D Crawford ,
V Deakin  and
B Talbot
KM Cashel*
Affiliation:
Gadi Research Centre, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia:
D Crawford
Affiliation:
School of Health Sciences, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria 3125, Australia
V Deakin
Affiliation:
Gadi Research Centre, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia:
B Talbot
Affiliation:
Gadi Research Centre, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia:
*
*Corresponding author: Email [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Objectives:

To assess and contrast awareness of the link between dietary fibre and folate and their major food sources (fruit, vegetables, bread and cereals).

Design and setting:

Mailed questionnaire investigating changes made to dietary intake of fibre, folate, fruit, vegetables, bread and cereals in the previous six months.

Setting:

The survey was conducted between June and November 1998 in the Australian Capital Territory.

Subjects:

One thousand one hundred and twenty-six adults randomly selected from the electoral roll.

Results:

More women than men in both older (50 + years) and younger (18–49 years) age groups reported increasing their consumption of folate, fibre, fruit and vegetables in the prior six months. In contrast, more men than women reported increased consumption of bread, cereals, rice and pasta in the previous six months. For food categories and fibre, less than 4% of respondents were unsure about changes in these food habits. However, 26% of men and women were ‘not sure’ about changes to folate intake. Similar proportions of men and women (about 33%) reported consuming more fruit, vegetables or cereal-based foods over the prior six months, yet only 6% of these men and 14% of these women reported consuming more folate. In contrast, 44% of men and 51% of women who reported consuming more plant foods also reported consuming more dietary fibre.

Conclusions:

The results suggested that subjects, particularly the younger age group, had a poor understanding of the relationship between folate intake and its major food sources. The understanding of the relationship between fibre intake and its food sources appeared substantial, but confusion about specific food sources was still evident. These outcomes question the effectiveness of nutrition education used to date, particularly for the current priority of increasing folate intake in younger women in the new, ‘health claims’ environment.

Keywords

FolateFibreHealth claimsBeliefs
Type
Research Article
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 4 , Issue 4 , August 2001 , pp. 913 - 918
Copyright
Copyright © CABI Publishing 2001

References

1Commonwealth Department of Health. Five food groups (poster). Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service, c. 1970.Google Scholar
2Cashel, K, Jeffreson, S. Core Food Groups. The Scientific Basis for Developing Nutrition Education Tools. Canberra: National Health and Medical Research Council, 1994.Google Scholar
3Langsford, WA. A food and nutrition policy. Food Nutr. Notes Rev. 1979; 36, 100–3.Google Scholar
4Commonwealth Department of Health. Commonwealth Department of Health Dietary Guidelines for Australians. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service, 1982.Google Scholar
5Health Targets and Implementation Committee. Health for All Australians. Report to the Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council and the Health Minister's Conference. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service, 1988.Google Scholar
6National Health and Medical Research Council. Dietary Guidelines for Australians. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service, 1994.Google Scholar
7National Health and Medical Research Council. Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service, 1994.Google Scholar
8Truswell, AS. Prospects for folic acid fortification and its monitoring. Aus. J. Nutr. Diet. 1996; 53, S17–23.Google Scholar
9Australia New Zealand Food Authority. A Pilot for a Health Claims System using Folate/Neural Tube Defects Health Claims [Online]. Available at http://www.anzfa.gov.au/FolatePilot/HealthClaimsPilot.htm3 June 1999.Google Scholar
10Australia New Zealand Food Authority. List of Foods and Food Products Approved to Carry a Folate/Neural Tube Defects Health Claim [Online]. Available at http://www.anzfa.gov.au/FolatePilot/Folatelist.htm3 June 1999.Google Scholar
11Australia New Zealand Food Authority. Important health message. Folate make it part of your day (pamphlet). Canberra: ANZFA, c. 1999.Google Scholar
12Cox, D, Anderson, A, Lean, M, Mela, D. UK consumer attitudes, beliefs and barriers to increasing fruit and vegetable consumption. Public Health Nutr. 1998; 1(1), 61–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13Whichelow, M. Which foods contain dietary fibre? The beliefs of a random sample of the British population. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 1988; 42, 945–51.Google Scholar
14Coles-Rutishauser, I. A Guide to Instruments for Monitoring Food Intake, Food Habits and Dietary Change. Food and Nutrition Monitoring Unit Working Paper 96.2. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 1996.Google Scholar
15United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). What We Eat in America: 1994–1996. Diet and Health Knowledge Survey Questionnaire. Washington, DC: United States Department of Agriculture, 1996.Google Scholar
16Guthrie, JF, Derby, B, Levy, A. What people know and do not know about nutrition In: Frazão, E, ed. America's Eating Habits: Changes and Consequences. Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 750 (AIB-750). Food and Rural Economics Division, Economic Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 1999; 243–81. Available at http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/AIB750/.Google Scholar
17Leidy, L. Timing of menopause in relation to body size and weight change. Hum. Biol. 1996; 68(6): 967–82,.Google Scholar
18Luoto, R, Kaprio, J, Uutela, A. Age at natural menopause and sociodemographic status in Finland. Am. J. Epidemiol. 1994; 139(1): 64–76.Google Scholar
19Altman, D. Practical Statistics for Medical Research. London: Chapman & Hall, 1991.Google Scholar
20Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). National Nutrition Survey. Nutrient Intakes and Physical Measurement. Australia 1995. Cat. No. 4805.0. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1998.Google Scholar
21Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Australian Social Trends 1997. Cat. No. 4102.0. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1997.Google Scholar