Healthy Habits
The library is the red building, next to the registration building. Please walk in, its the first room on the left.
Get Your Head in the Game: Understanding Generation Alpha’s Food Literacy
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Nadine Du Piesanie, Adeline Pretorius, Nadene Marx Pienaar
For any industry to survive, constant awareness about its latest target market is essential. Recent studies have shown that Generation Alpha (those born since 2010) is just that. It is said that this generation presents a purchasing power beyond their age, but this might be short-lived due to food environments that promote convenience-driven lifestyles that carry the risk of the triple burden of malnutrition. Literature indicates that this problem is further exacerbated by poor food literacy. Possessing good food literacy is an essential step in fostering healthier behaviours to navigate the food environment and allow for opportunities for an ultimately sustainable future. This study initially set out to present food literacy amongst SA consumers but pivoted towards focusing on generation alpha to identify possible areas of concern amongst this significant consumer group. To accomplish this, it was realised that conventional research methodologies such as standardised surveys might not be successful; hence a non-traditional research methodology in the form of gamification was proposed. Gamification adds game mechanics into nongame environments like websites, online communities, or learning management systems. In this instance, the goal of gamification was to engage generation alpha in a reliable and relatable way to increase participation and enjoyment of the overall survey experience. Initial results from the piloting of the measuring instrument revealed that most alphas presented a positive engagement with the instrument, and data after collection indicated that the sample lacked the needed food literacy that would foster a healthy future.
Featured Manifestaciones Morfológicas y Funcionales de la Dieta Hipercalórica Administrada desde la Etapa de Lactancia Hasta la Vida Adulta en Ratones BALB/C View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Daniela Ortiz Quiñones, Cynthia Rosales
The incidence of overweight and obesity in the Mexican population has increased above 70%, mainly driven by a HFHC diet. The objective of the present study was to investigate the biochemical, cognitive and histological effects of the hypercaloric diet. 12 mice of the BALB/c strain were divided into 2 groups: the control group and the treatment group. For 7 months the control group was administered a standard diet with pellets and the experimental group a HFHC diet. Bromatological tests were performed on the diet twice, as well as biochemical and cognitive tests on the mice. On the 7th month they were sacrificed and a histological analysis of the liver, kidney, heart, lung, adipose tissue and brain was performed. Lipid droplets were found in the liver, compact glomeruli and thickened renal tubes were found in the kidneys, wall thickening and decreased vascular lumen were found in the heart. In the brain, marked cellular damage possibly consistent with apoptosis due to intraneuronal amyloid formation was found in treated mice compared to controls, which may be related to the results of cognitive tests towards memory loss. These findings suggest that the HFHC diet negatively affects the morphology of the digestive, metabolic and central nervous system organs, before biochemical and motor alterations appear.
Is the Banana Bread Still in the Oven? Identifying the “New Normal” in Food Consumption Practices
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Antoinette Pole, Archana Kumar
Americans consumed 44% of food meals outside the home prior to the pandemic (Paulin 2020), however lockdown and shelter-in-place orders led many Americans to alter their habits, cooking and consuming more meals at home. Shifts to remote work and school, along with financial constraints and inflation have shaped food preferences, cooking, dining out and take-out. Based on 18 in-depth interviews with adults in the United States, this study investigates whether pandemic-related behaviors including food preferences; cooking and baking; and meals not prepared at home (dining out, delivery, and take-out) still persist, or whether individuals have reverted to pre-pandemic behaviors? We explore views during two points of the pandemic—Phase 1, Phase 2—and compare them to views prior to the pandemic. Results show respondents reported some changes in their food preferences. As expected, “snacks” increased however unexpectedly “produce” consumption also increased during the pandemic. Meat, fish and seafood consumption “stayed the same” compared to pre-pandemic consumption. Respondents indicated increased “cooking” and “baking” in Phase 1 of the pandemic for 94% and 50% respectively, compared to prior to the pandemic. Even in Phase 2 with the introduction of vaccines, cooking among respondents remained higher than pre-pandemic levels, though the increase in baking dropped to 28%. Results demonstrate a precipitous decline in “dining out,” accompanied by an increase in “delivery and take-out” during Phases 1 and 2 of the pandemic. Finally, the pandemic undoubtedly altered our relationship to the type of food we consume and choices regarding meal consumption in versus outside the home.
