Julia Depa

Environmental Strategies to Promote Food Intake in Older Adults: A Narrative Review

ABSTRACT Aging is often accompanied by lower intakes of food energy and consequent negative effects on health. To some extent this is due to declines in physiological ability, including the sensory responsiveness to regulate food intake. Fortunately, environmental factors may still influence food intake in older adults. Factors such as social facilitation, modeling, and nutrition knowledge and skills have been shown to stimulate their food intake. While environmental factors such as the eating location, portion size, food presentation, and labeling are known to influence eating behavior, their effectiveness in stimulating food intake in older persons is not well delineated. It is suggested that improving the environmental stimuli that promote food intake is a viable strategy to overcome age-related declines in nutrient intakes. This strategy is so promising that further research is warranted.

Prevalence of food insecurity among food bank users in Germany and its association with population characteristics

The prevalence of food insecurity (FI) among food bank users in many European countries is unknown. The study aims to examine FI prevalence and associated population characteristics among this particular group of disadvantaged people in Germany. Food insecurity status was assessed among 1033 adult food bank users with a mean age of 53 years (57% female, 43% male) in Germany in 2015 using the food insecurity experience scale (FIES). About half of the participants (55.8%) were single with no children and born in Germany. Over 37% had a self-reported BMI of 30 kg/m2 or above and 37.4% indicated to smoke. Over 70% of the food bank users can be described as food insecure. Of those, about 35% were considered mildly food insecure. Almost 30% were categorized as moderately food insecure while over 7% were categorized as severely food insecure. Significant associations with food insecurity were found for gender, age, subjective health status, smoking, duration of food bank use, school education and family type. Among this socially disadvantaged population, food insecurity is highly prevalent and public health efforts should be focusing on this vulnerable population taken into account the identified population and behavioral characteristics associated with food insecurity.

Migration Background Influences Consumption Patterns Based on Dietary Recommendations of Food Bank Users in Germany

People with low income tend to eat less balanced than people with higher income. This seems to be particularly the case for people with migration background. This cross-sectional study examined the relation of consumption patterns of 597 food bank users with different migration background in Germany. Questionnaires were distributed assessing sociodemographic information and consumption patterns. Analyses were conducted using binary logistic regressions. Models were controlled for age, gender, type of household and education. The group of German food bank users consumed fewer fruits and vegetables and less fish compared to all other groups with migration background (former USSR, Balkan region, Middle East). A significant predictor for fruit and vegetable consumption was migration status. Participants from the former USSR consumed less often SSBs compared to the other groups. Dietary recommendations for low income populations should take into consideration other aspects besides income such as migration status.

Der Prozess der Zivilisation

Das Ideal der Schlankheit kann religios interpretiert werden (s. oben), aber seine Wurzeln sind deutlich vielfaltiger. Etliche historische Entwicklungen lassen sie spriesen. Eine hiervon ist der Prozess der Zivilisation, wie ihn Norbert Elias (1978) skizziert hat.

The impact of providing fruits and vegetables to socially disadvantaged men

ABSTRACT Worldwide, food banks offer foods for free (e.g. USA) or at nominal costs (e.g. Germany), to people in need, but nothing is known about their impact on fruit and vegetable (FV) intake. Study aims were to examine whether (1) German male food bank users have a higher FV intake (variety and amount) compared to non-food bank users and whether (2) providing fresh FV for free, which participants personally selected, can increase FV intake among men in dependence of their food bank use. For the first question, a cross-sectional design and for the second, a longitudinal design (randomized intervention study) were chosen. Sociodemographic variables and dietary patterns (Food Frequency questionnaire and FV variety questionnaire) were assessed at baseline and dietary patterns were evaluated again after the intervention. The intervention consisted of providing two daily portions of fresh FV each week for 4 weeks. In total, 52 men participated. Men using a food bank regularly consumed a significantly larger FV variety than non-food bank or infrequent food bank users. The provision of free FV improved intake among social disadvantaged men, whereby particularly non-food bank users benefited from the intervention. Using a food bank that offers fresh produce might be a promising public health approach.

Pythagoras und Platon

Um die heute vorherrschende Schlankheitsnorm und das ubermasige Bemuhen um die richtige Ernahrung begreifen zu wollen, muss ein weiter Blick in die abendlandische Ideengeschichte geworfen werden. Denn dann wird ersichtlich, dass Orthorexia nervosa tiefliegende historische Wurzeln hat. Orthorexia nervosa stellt in dieser Perspektive eine Uberspitzung der Tugend der Masigung dar.

Politische, philosophische und religiöse Einflüsse auf das Schlankheitsideal und das orthorektische Essverhalten

Platons Denken bestimmt das gesamte Abendland. Aus ihm gibt es kein Entrinnen. Wir konnen gegen Dichotomien wie Leib und Seele oder Geist und Materie sein, aber sie bleiben damit dennoch unsere Kategorien. Es ist nicht verwunderlich, dass, wie eben erwahnt, die romisch-katholische Kirche Platon begeistert aufgreift, nicht nur wegen seines autoritaren Duktus, sondern auch wegen der Ablehnung des Korpers. Dieser soll nun mit dem Christentum Sitz des Teufels sein. Alle korperlichen Begierden sind so potenziell des Teufels.

Die Kriegserklärung gegen Adipositas – eine mögliche Legitimation der Orthorexia nervosa

Ein paar Blicke in die Medien, wie zum Beispiel dem Fernseher, machen sichtbar, dass adipose Menschen diskriminiert und wie fruher im Zirkus vorgefuhrt werden. Ihnen wird potenziell mit Hame und Verachtung begegnet. Es sind nicht nur die Medien, die adipose Menschen diskriminieren und attackieren. Auch in der Wissenschaft wird die Metapher Krieg haufig verwandt. Alleine auf einer Seite einer Veroffentlichung tauchen bei Blackburn folgende Terme auf: zweimal „combating“, einmal „agressive government policies“, einmal „fight against obesity“ und einmal „America’s losing battle against obesity“. Krieg erklaren, bedeutet in einer zwingenden Logik, dass ein Kriegsgegner konstituiert wird, der sich, wie das so ublich ist, nicht ergibt, sondern den Fehdehandschuh aufnimmt. Insofern tragt die Metapher Krieg dazu bei, dass der Gegner erhalten bleibt. Der Krieg gegen Adipositas scheint also nicht – zumindest nicht sofort – dazu angetan zu sein, die Pravalenzrate der Adiposen zu senken. Auch in diesem Zusammenhang halt der Katechon auf und nahrt das, was er zu bekampfen vorgibt.

Bündelung der zentralen Argumentationsstränge

Die Idee der Masigung durchzieht die gesamte abendlandische Geschichte, von der Philosophie der Fruh-Antike, uber die romisch-katholische Kirche, der protestantischen Ethik bis zur sakularisierten Gewichtsnorm im 20. Jahrhundert, die jedoch beliebig geworden ist – mit geringem Bezug zu Gesundheit und Krankheit.

Prävalenz der Orthorexia nervosa

Die Existenz eines orthorektischen Verhaltens wurde durch diverse Studien bestatigt. Unstimmigkeit herrscht bis dato daruber, wie verbreitet Orthorexia nervosa ist und welche Personen und Personengruppen am gefahrdetsten sind, ein orthorektisches Verhalten zu entwickeln.