Loading...
4 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
- Determinantes das escolhas alimentares infantis em restaurantes de fast-foodPublication . Rocha, Ada; Viegas, Cláudia; Peixoto, CláudiaNos últimos anos, verificou-se uma alteração no ritmo de vida da população, que se traduziu numa mudança dos hábitos de consumo, com um aumento do consumo de refeições fora de casa, incluindo pelas crianças. Na maioria das vezes, os locais escolhidos para realizar as refeições são os restaurantes de fast-food. Geralmente as refeições preparadas neste tipo de restaurantes, incluindo as refeições infantis, têm uma qualidade nutricional muito baixa. O comportamento das crianças em relação às suas escolhas alimentares, é afetado por vários determinantes de consumo, pelo que o principal objetivo deste estudo foi identificar os determinantes das escolhas alimentares infantis em restaurantes de fast-food. De forma a atingir este objetivo, foi elaborado um questionário, disponibilizado online dirigido a pais de crianças com idades compreendidas entre os 6 e os 12 anos. Observou-se que para as crianças, os fatores determinantes na escolha do restaurante de fast-food e da refeição consumida, foram, por ordem de importância: a oferta de um brinquedo colecionável/promocional, as opções disponíveis e o sabor agradável da refeição. Para os pais, os fatores mais relevantes no momento da escolha do restaurante de fast-food e da refeição infantil consumida, foram a conveniência do local, o preço acessível, o sabor agradável e as preocupações com a saúde, respetivamente. Os resultados deste estudo evidenciam a necessidade de reformular e desenvolver refeições infantis equilibradas sem comprometer a palatabilidade, associando a estas opções equilibradas a oferta de brindes colecionáveis.
- KIMEHS – Proposal of an index for qualitative evaluation of children’s menus: a pilot studyPublication . Rocha, Ada; Viegas, CláudiaConsidering the importance of the food environments for health promotion, and the lack of simple, easy-to-use, low-cost measures of the quality of meals, the authors developed a qualitative menu index (KIMEHS-Kids' Menu Healthy Score), tailored to children's menu evaluation. Development of the tool was based on the Mediterranean food pattern. It includes 18 components, divided into seven main groups that reflect key aspects of menu quality, including protein source, side dishes, vegetables, dessert and beverages, and also allergens and nutritional information. The index was analysed for content and construct validity, as well as inter-rater reliability, and was applied to a sample of menus from restaurants in shopping centres in the Lisbon region. Possible index point ranges from -17 to 17, with a higher score indicating greater compliance with the recommendations. A value of 5.5 is obtained if all KIMEHS items are available, considering healthy and non-healthy options. The inter-rater reliability was assessed and values above 0.80 were obtained for Alpha Cronbach, as well as agreement % rate >75%. Agreement percentage is above 75% for all the components. Evaluated restaurants scored from -14 to 7, with an average KIMEHS of -6.15. Only four restaurants scored positive values, ranging from 0.25 to 7. KIMEHS was considered to be an adequate index to evaluate children's menus, from the menu information displayed on restaurant websites and/or on restaurant displays or table menus. It is a simple, low-cost tool that may be used as a reference for health professionals as an objective measure to evaluate the food environment. Stakeholders could also be involved in their own assessment to help educate consumers about healthy food choices, strengthening the efforts to promote an adequate food pattern and health, contributing to the fight against obesity.
- Quality of kids’ meals in fast-food restaurants: the nutritional content is not enough for an informed choicePublication . Pinto, Daniela Costa; Viegas, Cláudia; Rocha, AdaObjective: Eating out in restaurants is a common family behavior, but it has been persistently associated with unbalanced nutrient intakes, contributing to create and reinforce unhealthy food habits among children. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the kids’ meals from three common well-known restaurant chains in Portugal. Methods: The nutritional composition (total fat, carbohydrates, protein, and sodium content) of the menus was analyzed bromatologicaly, and food portions were also examined. The assessment was carried out according to the European Food Safety Authority recommendations. Results: Analyses of the menus from the two points of view revealed that the evaluations for macronutrients and food portions may return contradictory results. Protein, carbohydrates, and fats are compliant with the requirements for most meals. The analysis from the food portion perspective exceeds the requirements for the meat, fish, and eggs groups, as well as for fats and oils. Fruits, vegetables, and pulses are not present in the menus. Despite the balance associated with the macronutrients, the salt content exceeds the recommendations for most of the meals. Conclusions: Popular fast-food chain restaurants have already adapted to comply with nutritional recommendations, whilst neglecting important recommended foods such as fruit, pulses, and vegetables. This study points not only to the need of investing in the improvement of the offerings but also to the importance of fighting the tendency to reduce the perception of food quality to its nutritional content, leading consumers to believe that the meals offered are balanced when they are not.
- Children’s menus in shopping centre restaurants: a multicentric studyPublication . Viegas, Cláudia; Lima, João; Afonso, Cláudia; Toth, András Jozsef; Bálint Illés, Csaba; Bittsánszky, András; Šatalić, Zvonimir; Vidaček Filipec, Sanja; Fabijanic, Valeria; Duran, Samuel; Torres, Jairo Alonso; Spinelli, Monica; Matias, Andrea; Souza Pinto, Ana Maria; Rocha, AdaPurpose – The aim of this study is to identify and characterize kids’ menu offers in fast-food and traditional restaurants located in shopping centers in five different countries. Design/methodology/approach – An observational cross-sectional study is carried out, though a study was performed in all restaurants located in shopping centers from main cities, in five countries: Brazil, Chile, Croatia, Hungary, and Portugal. A tool for assessing the quality of menus is used for the analysis (Kids Menu Healthy Score (KIMEHS)). Menu prices between countries were compared. Findings – A total of 192 kids’ menus were collected, 44 in Portugal, 57 in Brazil, 66 in Chile, 15 in Hungary, and 10 in Croatia. All the countries have average negative KIMEHS values for the menus, indicating that the offer is generally poor in terms of healthy options. The cost of children’s menus in European countries is generally low. In Brazil, the price is significantly more expensive, which may limit the accessibility by social economically deprived populations. No significant differences were found in the average cost of meals from different restaurants typology. Traditional/Western restaurants present the highest price. Practical implications – Globally, kids’ menus are composed of unhealthy food items, pointing to the need for improvements in food availability, aiming to promote healthy food habits among children. Originality/value – This study presents innovative data on children’s menus, allowing for characterization of meals offered to children and comparison between different countries.