| Abstract [eng] |
Justification: A healthy diet is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, and according to the food choice pyramid, grain products should make up the bulk of the diet. Regular consumption of grain products has a positive effect on health: it reduces the risk of certain chronic non-communicable diseases (diseases of the cardiovascular system, type 2 diabetes) and reduces the risk of the factors that could cause them. There are no studies in Lithuania that assess only the consumption of grain products by the population, therefore it is important to study the consumption habits of the public and to monitor the changing trends. The aim: to evaluate the opinion of the adult population of Lithuania (19-64 years old) about grain products and the peculiarities of their consumption. Research objectives: 1. Evaluate what grain products and how often they are consumed by the adult population. 2. Assess the opinion of the adult population on the potential health effects of grain products. 3. To evaluate the changing trends in the consumption of grain products by the adult population. Methodology: A total of 400 Lithuanian adults aged 19-64 were interviewed through an anonymous online questionnaire, of which 183 were men (45.8%) and 217 were women (54.3%). Statistical analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel 2016 and IBM SPSS Statistics 20.0. Pearson's χ2 criterion was used for the analysis of categorical data, choosing the level of statistical significance α = 0.05. The difference in results was considered statistically significant at p ≤ 0.05. Results and Conclusions: It was found that although the vast majority of respondents consume grain products (76.8 percent consume bread pastries, 83.2 percent consume porridge with oatmeal and other cereals, and 71.3 percent consume pasta), they consume them too rarely: only 34.9 percent consume bread pastries few times per day, respondents usually eat porridge, oatmeal and other cereals 3-5 times a week (31.5 percent) and pasta very rarely - usually less than once a week (39.3 percent). Comparing the frequency of daily consumption of grain products with 2019 and 2007 data we observe less frequent, and with 2013 - more frequent use. The population still lacks knowledge about the recommendations for consuming grain products and the potential health benefits. Only 18.3 percent respondents were aware that it was recommended to consume grain products several times a day, about a third of respondents answered incorrectly or did not know the health effects of consuming whole grains, and even about half of respondents with basic, secondary education were generally unaware of the potential health effects of whole grains. Keywords: grain products, whole grain products, nutrition, Lithuania adults. |
